Manners
by DeidaraLittleMonster
Summary: Co-written with Dana-Eliza, Gaara moves to a new town and becomes Neji's new neighbour. But something seems very interesting about the redhead and Neji doesn't seem to keep away from him, even if it changes him in many ways. GaaNeji, yaoi, rated M for later chapters, AU
1. Chapter 1

So this is a collab between Dana-Eliza and I! And it's also my first story...

Characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

_Dana_

Alicia

* * *

_A furniture van parked right in front of the still empty house. It was a rather big house, but it was not so strange since their father had been the mayor of another city, but after his death it just didn't feel like home anymore. Or at least that was what Temari had said and Gaara and Kankuro had just gone along with it. Gaara didn't care much where they lived as long as he had a little place to himself. He was a loner and he liked that fact. A good way to not get hurt, especially when your dad just died in some sort of unfortunate accident. Yeah, right, more like getting murdered by one of his ex-wives. _

_The redhead stepped out of the passenger seat of the small car they owned, it right behind the truck that kept all their stuff. Kankuro had been behind the wheel, because neither wanted to take care of anything and Temari was all over the place, yelling out demands and giving the driver of the furniture van a hard time. As his sister went on another rant, Gaara leaned back against the small red car and grabbed a cigarette out of his jeans pocket. A bad habit, but it was a nice way to kill time and relax some of his more… violent ways. He rather smoked than take the medication his father had gotten him. His eyes moved over to the house next to theirs, it looking much nicer and also quite sheltered. A big fence around it and then trees still hiding some of the other features. You could only really see the house through the front gate. Must be nice living there, no one bothering you…_

Inside the house, Neji was receiving yet another one of those endless lectures his uncle seemingly liked to give him. Every time it was about the same thing; all the stuff he hadn't done right in his life and what not. Lately he got them more often than usual and now he didn't even bother to pretend that he was listening anymore. So there he was now, inside Hiashi's office, staring out of the window and desperately trying to shut out his uncle's stern voice. It only seemed to infuriate the older male even further, but Neji honestly didn't really care anymore. It just was another thing that his uncle could add to the already endless list of everything he'd done wrong.

As Neji tried to find some distraction outside, he suddenly saw a furniture van and a car pulling up to the house next to his. New neighbours? Now he thought about it, he did remember his younger cousin Hanabi mentioning something about that, though he hadn't paid much attention to it back then. But now his interest was piqued, as it was much more interesting than his uncle, who now was yelling at him about how impolite he was and that he should learn some manners or something like that. Whatever.

Curiously Neji stepped a little closer to the window, pressing his nose against the cool glass as he tried to catch a glimpse of their new neighbours. So far he only was able to see a blonde girl and a redhead. The girl kind of had a strange hairstyle and she appeared to like to have control about everything, considering her body language as she yelled about something which he couldn't make out. And then the redhead... By the way he was leaning against the car and smoking a cigarette so casually, it didn't seem like he cared much about it all. Though the smoking habit was disgusting in his opinion, Neji still had to admit that he kind of liked the uncaring attitude. Really interesting so far...

_In the meantime the driver had opened his van and now it was time to move the stuff out of the truck. Kankuro had gotten out of the car now as well and was grumbling something under his breath about some bitch he had been dating. Apparently he had not received such a nice text. That was why Gaara didn't date, like at all, and Temari loved him for it somehow. Such a protective sister he had… _

_'Come on, Gaara. Get your stuff out and move them to your room. Stop being lazy and when are you going to stop smoking those cancer sticks?' And wasn't his sister lovely? But he better listen to her before she started ranting at him, because Gaara did get annoyed then and then this move would not be as great as Temari had planned it to be. _

_He threw his cigarette on the ground and flattened it with his foot. Tiredly he walked away from their red car and over to the van, rubbing a hand through his messy red hair and sighing softly. When he heard Kankuro and Temari bickering already, he shot his eyes up to heaven as if to pray that this day would end well without them all trying to kill one another. But it seemed his siblings were already half way there as he jumped into the truck. So for now it was best to ignore them and just grab some boxes that had Gaara written over them in big bold letters and one by one he brought them into the house, the urge to just duct tape the mouths of his brother and sister close getting higher and higher._

With mild interest Neji watched as the whole scene unfolded before his eyes. Another weird looking guy getting out of the small car, the blonde girl yelling at the redhead, who only seemed to get more irritated by this, but eventually ended up helping to unload the van anyway. It was pretty funny to see them interact with each other, although he couldn't hear a thing of what they said, especially not with his uncle yelling in his ear.

Neji couldn't help but wonder what they were like. Would they be the noisy kind of neighbour who only caused nuisance or would they be quite the opposite? Were they related or were they just a couple of friends who spontaneously decided to move in with each other? And what would they look like from up close? All these kind of questions were now running through his head, only making him even more curious about their new neighbours. A feeling in the gut told him that he probably was going to get an answer to these questions soon enough, as his uncle surely wouldn't let the opportunity pass to praise the Hyuuga company a little in the presence of the newcomers. Neji already felt sorry for them.

_It seemed that Gaara would be the only one unloading the van together with the driver as his siblings were still fighting and screaming and whatever. And then the van was empty except for those two and Gaara didn't care enough to get them out, so he would leave that to the driver since he definitely wanted to leave. Good luck to him. _

_So he walked off and decided to go inside and explore the house a little, which wasn't that interesting. At least they didn't have to share a room. The kitchen was rather small and Gaara already envisioned the many fights they would be having there for being too close to one another. Most of the time it were Kankuro and Temari that fought since his brother always picked on him and his sister didn't like that fact much. Gaara just didn't care. It was all just a waste of time. But now the kitchen was empty, so the redhead could get a glass of water in peace, after having found a glass in one of the boxes that crowded the small room. _

_And as he turned on the faucet, no water came out, just some weird noises and that was it. Of course the day they moved in and there was no water. He walked back out, finding the bickering siblings out on the porch now and not in the van anymore. Impressive that the driver managed to do that. 'There is no water,' he stated to no one in particular, but at least it got him some attention._

_'Then go fix it!' Temari yelled at him and that was about the most he would get out of her since she was now focused on Kankuro again. _

_With a shrug Gaara decided he would check with the neighbours first to see if they had trouble with the water as well and lazily walked towards the huge gate, opening it with a hard push and then walking over to the front door. Why have such a big gate if it wasn't even locked? He leaned against the side wall and knocked on the door. _

At first Neji didn't think much of it when he saw the redhead walk away from his house and his companions. He probably was just going to get some rest, or maybe go to the store to buy a new pack of cigarettes or something like that. However, when it became clear that he was making his way over to their house, a look of surprise crossed Neji's face.

Turning away from the window to face his uncle, who apparently still wasn't done with his lecture and hadn't heard the knocking on the door because of that. 'There's someone at the door!' Neji had to raise his voice a little to surpass the tone his uncle used.

Hiashi went silent, giving him a look that obviously said that he didn't like the way his nephew completely ignored everything he'd said and then dared to interrupt him as well. But despite that he still turned to leave the room. 'We'll continue this conversation later,' He said in a surprisingly calm voice, giving Neji one last warning glance before exiting his office.

Neji almost wanted to sigh in relief, glad that this "conversation" finally was over. Quickly he went to follow after his uncle, being curious what his new redhead neighbour wanted.

Neji watched as Hiashi opened the front door and glanced down at the stranger. 'Hello. Can I help you?' He heard his uncle ask, suddenly sounding a lot more friendly than moments ago. It was obvious to him that his uncle had no idea who it was, but still wanted to make a good impression on him, as if not to ruin the Hyuuga's good name. Hypocrite.

_Immediately Gaara pushed himself off the wall to face the man, thinking he fitted really well with the well-kept garden and the big gate to let people in. Now he felt a little underdressed in his dirty jeans and his plain grey t-shirt. 'Sorry to bother you, sir,' he said in a monotone voice, glancing around the man, his eyes falling on another figure further behind. 'We just moved in next door and found out our water isn't working and we were wondering if you had the same problem or if it really was just our house,' he explained, more trying to figure out who the other person was._

_Seemed about the same age as Gaara. Very strong and masculine features in his face, but the long hair said something different. It gave the guy something feminine. To describe the long brown locks he would use the word pretty and pretty wasn't a word he normally used on a guy. Quite interesting, but maybe not interesting enough. He leaned back and glanced up at the tall man, then noticing that the hairstyle must be some sort of family trademark. Quite funny actually. _

So that explained what the redhead was coming to do at their house. Apparently he wasn't just here to introduce himself to his new neighbours or something like that. Not that Neji thought that was strange, because now he had the chance to study the redhead's appearance a little better, he had to say that he didn't really seem like the social or outgoing type of person. His clothes looked a little dirty in his opinion, but he figured out that was just from moving all the boxes from the furniture van and into the house or something like that. And what was going on with the make-up anyway? It kind of reminded Neji of those emo guys at his school, and the unusual colour of his hair didn't really help either... Couldn't be his natural hair colour, right? But despite his thoughts, Neji still had to admit that it all suited the guy, and that he actually was very handsome. Maybe a bit too handsome for his own good...

Neji then noticed that the guy's eyes also were directed at him instead of his uncle and immediately he averted his eyes, shifting a bit where he stood in an awkward fashion. Hopefully the redhead hadn't noticed that he'd been staring...

'Oh, so you're the new neighbour? Welcome to the neighbourhood then,' Hiashi said politely, but at the same time he didn't seem like he did his best to impress the guy as much as before anymore, now he also had taken a better look at his appearance. 'Well, I think our water works perfectly fine, but I can go check it, just to be sure. Just wait here for a moment,' Without giving the redhead a chance to reply, Hiashi already had turned around and walked out of the hallway, leaving his nephew alone with the stranger.

_Gaara didn't reply as the man walked off, his eyes moving from the back of the house owner to the teen. He didn't say anything as he just kept staring at the brunette, settling comfortably against the wall next to the door. He seemed a little shy with the way he averted his eyes from the redhead. The brunette really was the complete opposite of Gaara it seemed, except for the pale skin. They had that in common. But the well-kept hair and the neat clothes. Gaara felt uncomfortable only staring at him. He should loosen up a little._

_Since Gaara wasn't one to talk and he didn't feel like breaking the silence, he got a cigarette out of his back pocket and lit it, slowly blowing out the smoke as he stared off in the garden again. It would probably make a bad impression, but at this point he just didn't care. It wasn't like he was planning on impressing the neighbours anyway, that was a job for Temari and with the way she was shrieking now she was doing a horrible job at it. _

_Sea green eyes lazily went back to the teen still standing a few feet away and he decided to say something. 'I should apologise for my sister,' he said rather plain. 'She will be yelling a lot more like this, so she might get annoying at some point.'_

As soon as his uncle left, Neji could feel the tension in the room grow and it only made him feel more uncomfortable than before, both because of the awkward silence and the way he still could feel the redhead's eyes lingering on him. For once in his life he wished that his uncle just would come back already. That, or he just could walk away now to mind his own business...

However, before Neji had the chance to do that, the redhead suddenly spoke up. Not having expected that, his eyes shot up to his new neighbour, only to be met with the sight of the cigarette again. It was a bit impolite that he just started smoking like that, but Neji didn't say anything about it. Not that he was in the right position to tell a complete stranger that he shouldn't smoke anyway, but he still couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in disgust.

Now the redhead mentioned it, he could hear a girl's voice yelling something in the distance. So that was the blonde girl he'd seen earlier, huh? And apparently she was this guy's sister. Did that also mean that the other guy was also related to him? 'Oh, don't worry about it. It's fine,' Neji replied, not really knowing what else to say to the redhead's apology so he simply forced himself to smile a little. What else could he say, anyway? That his sister just should learn to keep her mouth shut? Yeah, right...

Not wanting to fall right back into the silence again, Neji did the first best thing that came to his mind, which was introducing himself. 'I am Neji, by the way,' He said a bit stiffly, taking a step closer to the redhead and stuck out his hand, waiting for the other to take it and introduce himself as well.

_An invisible eyebrow was raised and Gaara took the cigarette out of his mouth and kept it to the side as he offered his other hand, firmly shaking Neji's hand for a short moment. 'Gaara,' he replied, returning to his lazy posture, but keeping his gaze fixed on the brunette. _

_It was obvious that Neji was bothered by the cigarette, but that only made Gaara put the stick to his lips even more, trying to urge the brunette to get out of that polite exterior of his and just say something about it. Neji really was raised well Gaara guessed, but that didn't mean the redhead wouldn't enjoy trying to get Neji to burst and scold at him or something. It might actually amuse Gaara, although Temari would get mad at him then. _

_So he decided he wanted to hang out with Neji and see if the other would behave differently then. Not that he wanted to become friends since Gaara didn't do friends. 'Since I am new to the neighbourhood and you seem like a nice neighbour, could you show me around some time? Would be nice to not have to explore on my own.' He shot Neji one of his rare smiles, bringing the cigarette back to his lips again, thinking he was going to have a lot of fun with this…_


	2. Chapter 2

Characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

_Dana_

Alicia

* * *

The next day, Neji was mentally preparing himself for another meeting with the new neighbour called Gaara. After the redhead had asked him in a surprisingly polite way to show him around a little in the neighbourhood, he'd hesitated at first, doubting if he was the right person to do that. Gaara seemed like the rebellious type of guy, and he was quite the opposite of that. He didn't have much experience with that kind of people either. But in the end he just hadn't been able to say no to such a handsome guy, with a little help of his uncle, of course. As soon as he'd heard about it, he'd practically insisted Neji to do it, claiming it would be polite and that it was the least thing he could do for the redhead. And of course this also was a good way of getting to know Gaara a little better. Should be interesting.

So there he was now, on his way to the redhead's house. However, as soon as he passed the gates of his own house, his eyes immediately fell on Gaara, who was kind of hard to miss with his bright red hair. He was leaning against the somewhat unstable looking fence, which was nothing compared to the big gates his uncle had purchased, and he looked just as uncaring as the day before.

With an unusual, but polite smile plastered on his face, Neji walked up to the redhead. 'Hello,' He greeted him. 'So, uhm, are you ready to see a little more of the neighbourhood?'

_Since morning had started Gaara had wanted to get out of the house and just let his siblings deal with this whole moving thing. It was so much trouble and with his sister yelling at them where everything had to go and then also with the water still not working. Apparently they company shut off the water when no one had lived her for quite some time and now they had to fix it again. Great… So with all the stress and chaos around the house, Gaara preferred being outside and just not bother. And he believed that his brother and sister preferred it this way as well. _

_Lazily he leaned back against their excuse of a fence, it creaking under his weight and then he noticed the brunette walking towards him. At least he had something to do now, although he was perfectly fine with not doing anything at all. But a walk through the neighbourhood would be quite nice and then he also didn't have to listen to Temari and Kankuro bicker all the time, which was happening right now as well. _

_With a nod he greeted Neji back and then pushed himself off the fence, another loud crack coming from it. 'Yeah, let's get out of here,' he replied, eyes moving over through the street and then settling back on the brunette. 'Lead the way.'_

For a brief moment Neji just stood there, taking in the redhead's appearance again. It wasn't surprising to see that he hadn't changed much from the day before. The only thing that was different now was that there fortunately was no presence of a cigarette this time. Hopefully it would stay that way, but something told him that chance would be very slim.

'Alright,' Neji said softly, still smiling a little, before walking off into a random direction, assuming that Gaara just would follow him. He then proceeded to start to blab about all kinds of facts about the neighbourhood, which varied from what kind of people lived in which houses to what the best directions were to get to all kinds of places. It probably was very boring to listen to, but it was a lot better than falling into an awkward silence, like the day before. At least, it was better in his opinion.

However, soon he ran out of subjects to talk about, thinking he pretty much told the redhead everything concerning the neighbourhood so far. So he decided to ask him something else, which probably was a little more personal, but shouldn't be such a bad question. 'So how was the first night at your new house?' Neji asked as he glanced around himself, taking in the familiar surroundings.

_As Neji started walking, Gaara just slowly followed after, not really paying attention to what the brunette said about the neighbours and what kind of things you could do here, although he did take not of where the closest store was since he would need to buy cigarettes today again. Hopefully they would go past it. _

_His eyes went over to the guy walking in front of him, taking in the neat white clothes, wondering if they ever got dirty. The perfectly styled hair and even Neji's posture screamed I am a good boy. I will never make a mistake in my life and will get a good office job right after I graduate, making much more money then you ever will. Somewhere it annoyed Gaara. He felt like Neji should just let go sometimes and actually relax. He was just so… What was the right word for it? Uptight. _

_'It was alright,' he murmured, reaching into his back pocket again and flipping out his pack of cigarettes. He really only had a few left, so he needed to get new ones. 'Nothing special since it was still my own bed.' He set the stick to his lips and lit it, slowly blowing out the first bit of smoke, making sure he wasn't blowing it into Neji's way. He then held up the pack into Neji's direction, thinking it would be the polite thing to do to offer one, right? Probably more polite to not smoke at all in company, but he was definitely not giving up on that. 'Want one?'_

'Well, maybe you have a point there, but I figured it would be a lot different. To sleep in another room than you're used to and such,' Neji shrugged a little. It wasn't like he knew what it was like to move. He'd lived in the same house for as long as he could remember, since his father died when he was only four years old to be exact. Since then he'd started living with his uncle and his two younger cousins, but the memory of having to get adjusted to the new lifestyle completely had left his mind, thankfully.

Much to his own dismay Neji watched as Gaara retrieved a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He wasn't really surprised by it though, and like before he didn't say anything about it, as he still was not the right person to tell the redhead what he could and couldn't do, especially not since Gaara wasn't on his property this time.

When Gaara held the pack of cigarettes out to him and offered him one, he had to admit that he was a little surprised, for the first time that day. Immediately Neji shook his head and held his hands up in front of him dismissively. 'Uhmm, thank you, but no. I don't smoke,' He tried to decline it as politely as possible, but as the eyed the cigarettes he wasn't able to keep the look of disgust off his face this time.

_An invisible eyebrow rose at the look on Neji's face, finding it very amusing and also insulting at the same time. Was it really that bad that Gaara smoked? He stuffed the pack back into his jeans and took a long drag of his own cigarette, blowing it away from Neji again. 'You know smoking isn't that disgusting and I can assure you I am a lot nicer when I do smoke,' he murmured absentmindedly. He looked off into the streets again, noticing they were in a cheaper part of town this time. Were they even heading somewhere? Maybe he should just ask if they could go passed a shop, so he could get another fill. 'And I am sure you have nasty habits as well. I believe all people do and considering what kind of hobbies people can have, smoking isn't really the worst.'_

_Gaara didn't really know why he was defending his smoking habits. It wasn't really like he enjoyed the taste much or was really addicted, although he never had tried quitting before. But it just was so relaxing and then he didn't have to worry about suddenly losing his temper or something like that. It wasn't like he cared if Neji saw it, but he didn't want to lose control like that again. And it was harder not to when he wasn't smoking. _

_'Can we go and get some cigarettes somewhere? I'm almost out and it would be nice to know where exactly it is for in the future.' His eyes moved back to Neji now, taking a long drag again just to annoy the brunette a little. Just to say look at me smoking, you can't say a thing about it. He wondered if Neji ever would._

Immediately Neji opened his mouth to make a retort, but not a single sound left his lips as he couldn't seem to find the right words to say, obviously completely taken aback by the suddenly defensive redhead. Quickly closing his mouth again, he simply stared at Gaara for a moment before his eyes went down to the cigarette clutched between two of his fingers, and then went back up to the redhead's face again. He hadn't said anything bad about the damn cigarette, right? He even had rejected it in a polite way... Well, sure, the look on his face had said something different, and apparently Gaara already saw that as a threat. Too bad for the redhead, since he just had to get used to that. He couldn't be the only person who reacted to smoking like this anyway, and he hadn't even said something about it yet!

And what did the redhead mean by saying that he was a lot nicer when he smoked, anyway? Neji decided not to ask, since it weren't his business, and he honestly didn't know if he wanted to find out... So he simply nodded his head at the redhead's questions. 'Yes, of course. Just follow me,' He said softly, sounding a lot nicer than he actually wanted to.

Neji didn't spare Gaara a second glance and he simply picked up his pace a little as he continued to walk, not even caring whether the redhead followed him or not. He didn't even attempt to start a conversation with him anymore. The plan now was just to get the redhead to the closest store so he could buy cigarettes there, and when he was done with that then he just would lead the way back home again. That was the fastest way he currently could think of to get rid of the redhead as soon as possible and still fulfil his duty. Because if he didn't do that, then his uncle just would have another thing to complain about...

_It was almost as if Neji sped off, trying to get away from Gaara as fast as possible. And here he thought they were having a nice time together, not really… But it was difficult to entertain someone as uptight as Neji was. Actually it was just hard for Gaara to entertain at all. He just didn't care as much and he also thought he didn't need any friends. He would be fine on his own and he was also pretty sure that Neji didn't need another friend. Someone as handsome, and pretty at the same time, as Neji would have many people swoon all over him. But maybe he could pick up a conversation to just seem nice about it all and not as uncaring as he really was._

_'So you go to school here as well, right?' he asked, blowing out another puff of smoke up in the air this time, lazily glancing up at the blue sky. He didn't really follow Neji's pace, but as long as he kept talking, Neji wouldn't just leave him alone. That would be impolite and that was not how the brunette was raised. There were some benefits about this whole neat appearance Neji carried. 'Do you have many friends there? Girlfriend?'_

Neji only was even more surprised when Gaara started asking him such bold questions about his personal life. He honestly hadn't expected the redhead to show interest in him at all, let alone after the outburst about the smoking thing. So now was the question; should he answer them or not?

Noticing Gaara was falling behind now, Neji halted for a moment until the other male had caught up to him, before continuing to walk right next to him. 'Yes, yes and no.' The answers to these questions didn't have much content, but at least they all were true. He did have many friends, but sometimes he couldn't help but think that they just wanted to be friends with him because he came from a wealthy family. The thoughts sometimes saddened him a little, but yeah, there was nothing he could really do about it. At least he wasn't one of those "losers" who didn't have any friends at all...

And a girlfriend... Well, he just didn't need one. He would be lying if he said that the girls from his school didn't show any interest in him, but he simply didn't return it. The reason they were all over him probably just was the same as why he had so many friends, but it was different with this. If someone wanted to be with him, then they just needed to show in some way that they wanted him because they liked him, and not just for the money... And that was something which all girls had failed in until now.

Of course Neji now also was curious if the redhead had many friends as well, and maybe even a girlfriend, but he decided against asking it, not wanting to show too much interest in Gaara after the defensive attitude he'd put up. But if he had to judge the other just by his looks, then he would say that he didn't have either, but you never know...

As soon as they reached the nearest store where he knew they sold cigarettes, Neji stopped walking. 'We're here,' He stated, looking up at the building with a little to no interest.

_It was probably a good thing Gaara had been smoking his cigarette, because somehow Neji was getting on his nerves. The brunette wasn't just uptight, but also a bit too arrogant to his taste. The way Neji wanted to get away from him as if he was some piece of trash just angered him. What gave him the right to treat Gaara this way? Just because he dressed the way he did and the way their house looked at this point, didn't mean they were poor. Not at all. Not with the money their dead father left behind. Even if he was a bastard, he was a rich bastard. _

_He threw his cigarette to the side and just walked into the store without another word and bought his pack of cigarettes. When he came out of the shop he stuffed the pack in his back pocket. His green eyes lingered over Neji's form for a moment and then slightly narrowed as he turned away. _

_'Thanks for showing me around, but I think I'll find my way home from here. Don't want to waste your time any further. I'm not a very interesting guy anyway.' And with that said he started walking off, actually having remembered which way they had gotten from, but he wasn't sure if would remember the whole way back. But he just didn't feel like spending time with someone who really didn't want to be around him. 'I'll see you around,' he called over his shoulder, waving his hand dismissively. _

Upon hearing those words, Neji had a really hard time to resist the urge to roll his eyes. He honestly didn't have the slightest clue why the redhead suddenly was acting like this. Maybe he was right at some point, but still, Neji hadn't done anything to give him the impression that he wasn't interesting enough to spend time with, right? Well, maybe besides the blunt answers, the disgusted facial expression and the way he'd started to walk faster, but that wasn't such a big deal...

Oh well, like he cared. If the redhead wanted to go home by himself, then Neji wasn't going to do anything to stop him. Why would he? The guy was even weirder than he'd expected at first, and at the moment he didn't even wanted to put the effort in trying to be nice anymore. At this point, he couldn't even care less anymore if his uncle was going to give him a lecture about this later, although it would be very unfair if that happened. After all, it had been the redhead's choice to walk home by himself, and not his...

But what now? Neji needed to go into the same direction to get home... He pondered a little as he watched Gaara's retreating back, but then ended up shrugging inwardly. Whatever, then he just would go another block around. Anything was better than putting up with Gaara now and having to act polite towards him, while the redhead clearly didn't return that. Although deep down he knew that wasn't entirely true, since he, as strange as it was, had offered him one of his cigarettes and had pretended to be interested in him. And not to mention that he'd actually thanked him for the little tour, although it had sounded very sarcastic, in his opinion at least. Maybe the guy just had done his best to be nice, but it still was very strange...

_It had been easier to walk home than Gaara had first thought, but maybe the reason for that was because he had been fussing about Neji and how he wasn't even polite enough to say a goodbye. How could someone be that arrogant? It irritated him and he needed another cigarette to just calm down again. _

_And when he finally got home, the yelling was still going on and apparently it was about him this time, because as soon as he walked up to the house, Temari came stalking out, angry look on her face. What the hell did he do wrong this time? He even told her he was going on a damn walk that didn't really brighten his mood. 'Gaara, tell Kankuro that going to therapy is good and that we should go as a family to get through this hard time,' she called towards him, apparently not mad at him, but still at his brother._

_Why were they talking about therapy? Gaara had been through enough therapy and he certainly wasn't going to therapy with his siblings. Sharing his feelings with them, yeah right. 'Therapy sucks and it doesn't help anything. They only stuff medication down your throat, claiming it will make you better, but the only thing it does is make you tired.' And with that said he pushed passed his sister, his brother grinning from the doorway at him. _

_'See, Temari. I am definitely not going to therapy. Look what it did to Gaara. I think it actually all got worse since father forced him to go.' And for that Gaara punched his brother against the arm, but left it at that. Kankuro was probably right anyway. After he had started talking about his problems and actually found some hidden ones, he only got angry more often. _

After a slightly longer walk Neji finally arrived at his house again. He heard a voice which clearly belonged to a female yell something, but he didn't pay much attention to it, as he wanted to get inside as fast as possible and take his mind off things a little. However, just when he was about to open the gates, he heard the person he'd tried to avoid a couple of minutes ago say something unexpected.

Therapy? Gaara had been in therapy? Sure, the redhead wasn't what you exactly could call normal, but Neji never had expected that it would be as extreme as this, and it actually shocked him. What possibly could be the reason that he had been in therapy? Had it something to do with what Gaara had said that he was a lot nicer when he smoked? And why did he need to go again, with his family this time?

A lot of questions were now running through Neji's mind and then he suddenly realised that he had been standing in front of the gates of his house a little too long. Looking around himself for a moment to see if someone had seen him, which luckily wasn't the case, he quickly made his way inside the house, all he could really think of now being Gaara and the subject therapy.

Softly Neji bit his bottom lip a little. Shit, now he actually started to feel bad for being rude towards the redhead, even though he still had no idea what was the cause of Gaara needing therapy. Maybe the reason wasn't that bad, but you didn't get medication for nothing...

The longer Neji thought about it, the worse he started to feel about it all. Maybe he should just apologise to Gaara? But wouldn't it be strange, if he would do that out of the blue? He honestly didn't know, but he needed to act careful from now on. Couldn't let the redhead notice that he'd overheard him talking with his family about something as personal as this was...

After a while of more thinking and pondering, Neji still didn't know what the smartest thing to do now was, but maybe it was the best just to sleep on it. But what he did know was that the redhead just had gotten even more interesting than before...


	3. Chapter 3

I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed this story! I really appreciate it and it's good to know that there are people who like the story :)

Characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

_Dana_

Alicia

* * *

_A day had gone by again and most of the stuff was now unpacked. Gaara's room still looked pretty plain, but maybe he would give one of the walls a colour. Maybe a dark red or something. But that would be for later, because now Temari was ordering him to go outside and mow the lawn. Seriously mow the freaking lawn? It's not like they ever really sit in the yard anyway. They were as pale as they come, but of course this time Temari decided she wanted to work on her tan, but she wouldn't do it in an overgrown garden. And of course Kankuro had fled the place as soon as the first streams of light had come in through the window. Smart thinking… Bastard. _

_So here Gaara was, opening the little shed in the back of yard, which seemed to fall apart as soon as you touched it, and he got out some old lawnmower the previous owners had stocked in there. It was all rusty and it would be a miracle if it actually still worked and unfortunately for Gaara, it did. Though you had to push a lot harder to actually get it to move, so this was going to be a rough job. And with the burning sun above him it was going to be even worse. _

_Gaara got to work anyway, the lawnmower screeching loudly as a protest, but eventually it started cutting the grass in half or something like that. And then he started moving up and down the length of their yard and soon he found out their yard was actually pretty big and this was going to take a while before he was done. Why did they need this much grass in the first place?_

After a long night of sleep, Neji still didn't have the slightest clue what he was supposed to do now with Gaara. He already came to the conclusion that apologising wouldn't be the smartest idea since he probably only would end up drawing suspicion. But what now? Should he just pretend like he never had heard the "secret" and just not apologise for his rude behaviour? It seemed like the best option, for now at least...

Damn, why did he even worry about this all? It wasn't like he hadn't been rude to people before, so why did he suddenly care about this? It wasn't like it were his business that Gaara had been in therapy anyway, so he shouldn't feel bad because Gaara probably had done something stupid which caused him to end up there.

A soft sigh escaped Neji's lips when his thoughts still didn't really cheer him up and he lazily gazed out of the window. Currently he was in his room, sitting on the windowsill, having the perfect view on their neighbour's house from here. He really was bored to death, but it simply was way too hot outside to do something right now.

Then, much to his own surprise, the guy he had been pondering about all day long came walking out of the house. What was Gaara going to do? With mild interest Neji watched as he retrieved something he didn't recognize at first from the shed in his backyard, but later he identified it as a lawnmower. Just by watching the redhead mow the lawn alone he already grew tired. Where Gaara found the energy to do this, he didn't know, but he was glad he currently wasn't in Gaara's shoes.

_This really was terrible. After walking down the grass a few times Gaara needed a break. He just stopped walking and let out a loud sigh, tilting his face up towards the sun with closed eyes. It really was incredibly hot out and it seemed to burn Gaara's skin off or something. He decided it was time to take off his shirt and lose the extra warmth that gave off. He pulled it off over his head, revealing his slightly toned stomach first, and of course also how incredibly pale it was, and then used the white t-shirt he had been wearing to wipe off the sweat from his forehead. This was a little better, but for how long really?_

_Maybe a bit of water would be nice and he actually had brought a bottle of water with him. They finally had tap water again since this morning, so that was good. He retrieved the bottle from the side of the house, next to the door, where he had left it and then took a long drink as he walked back to the mower. And the rest he decided to just empty above his head, letting the water through his dark red hair down to his body, it now glistening in the sun. That felt even better…_

_'If you're going to be shirtless in the sun, you better put some sunscreen on. I don't want you whining about hurting under the shower and stuff.' And with that Temari threw a bottle of sunscreen his way. Something along the line of SPF 50, because otherwise it really wouldn't work. With a roll of the eyes he started rubbing the stuff on his arms, it not really smearing right since he was still wet. _

Soon Neji's interest slowly started to ebb away as it wasn't really as entertaining as he hoped to see someone mowing a lawn. However, not a moment later Gaara managed to surprise him yet again by taking off his shirt and splashing water all over himself. Immediately Neji was distracted by this, all the things that had been on his mind earlier now completely forgotten.

Oh god, was he really seeing this right? He rubbed his eyes for a moment, just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating because of the hot weather or something. But as soon as he let his eyes fall back on the redhead's form again, he was met with the same sight as before, the only difference now being that he was rubbing something on his arms that looked awfully much like sunscreen. As Neji watched this intently, he could feel his cheeks heathen up a little. Did it just get a little hotter in here?

Secretly Neji found himself wishing that he was able to see Gaara from up close like this... Wait, what? What was he thinking?! And even more important; where did that suddenly come from? Of course he didn't want to get a closer image of the shirtless redhead! He wasn't gay after all, so it was just plain stupid to think that!

_The more Gaara tried to spread the sunscreen the whiter he got and it annoyed him. He grumbled something under his breath, cursing the stupid white stuff that supposedly protected him against the sun. Right, like he never got a sunburn before even when putting the stuff on. _

_And then he heard the click-clacks of heels hitting the pavement between Neji's and his house. He glanced out of the corner of his eyes for a moment at the person that walked passed and then quickly pretended he hadn't seen the girl. Of course the girl had noticed him and immediately started speaking in this annoying voice he didn't really want to pay attention to. _

_'Need some help with that?'_

_Slowly Gaara turned towards the girl and raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was even talking about. 'Help with what?' he asked, not as friendly of a tone as she had used, but it seemed she didn't care at all. She actually saw this as permission to get closer and sit on their lame excuse of a fence and smile at him. What the hell did she want? _

_'With the sunscreen, silly,' she said happily and then without getting consent for rubbing the white stuff on his body, she already walked over and took the bottle from him. Gaara just stared at her, hoping this wasn't really happening. He seriously wasn't in the mood for this. As she brought her small hand up and rubbed the sunscreen all over his chest, she started talking again. 'I'm Matsuri by the way.'_

_Why was this girl putting the sunscreen on his chest and now stomach… Hand still moving lower and lower... Gaara could reach those parts himself. His back was the main issue, but this girl, apparently named Matsuri didn't care at all. 'Okay…' he only replied to her statement, leaning away from her wandering hands. Unfortunately it didn't help._

Apparently Gaara wasn't doing such a great job with putting on the sunscreen, because not a moment later a girl Neji didn't recognize walked up to the redhead. Still feeling confused by his earlier thoughts he watched as they interacted with each other, before the girl suddenly did something which Neji hadn't seen coming. She took the bottle from the redhead, put the sunscreen on her hands before starting to rub them all over the male's body!

A strange, unfamiliar emotion Neji couldn't really put his finger on went through him as he watched this. Was she his girlfriend or something? Somehow he automatically had assumed that Gaara was single, as he didn't really seem like a ladies-man to him at all, but apparently he had been wrong... That, or she just came here to flirt with the redhead. Neji didn't really like either options, but despite that he secretly found himself hoping that it would be the last one.

Neji was so occupied with observing the two, that he didn't even hear the light knock on the door. He also missed the second knock. In fact, he only noticed that there was someone on the other side of the door when a soft voice spoke up, which belong to none other than his cousin, Hinata.

'N-N-Neji? C-can I borrow y-your-'

'I'm busy,' Neji interrupted her before she even had the chance to finish her sentence, but at the moment he couldn't care less about that. She was a kind girl, really, but now he just didn't feel like dealing with her. Couldn't have her see his flushed face, and have the chance that she would question him about it. He also didn't want her to notice that he'd been watching their neighbours the whole time like some kind of creepy stalker.

'B-but it's i-important-'

'Not now, Hinata,' He said without looking up, his voice a little more firm now, cutting her off for a second time.

A barely audible sigh and the sound of light footsteps walking away were heard on the other side of the door, but Neji didn't really pay attention to it anymore, his mind completely focused on Gaara and the strange girl again, watching as her hands were going lower and lower...

_'Now it's your turn to introduce yourself, silly,' Matsuri said in some sort of playful tone, her hands going a little too low for Gaara's taste and he quickly grabbed them, holding them up between the two to create some space between them and to keep those hands away from his body. _

_Gaara pondered about what he should do with this girl that obviously didn't want to leave. It would be just his luck if Temari came outside and saw them together. How happy she would be then, because her little brother found himself a nice girl. No, he found himself some sort of idiot that thought it was okay to touch random strangers who might just want to murder you in your sleep. Not that he wanted to do that, but his hands were itching to just to give the girl a push or something. _

_'I don't think it's necessary for you to know my name,' he replied sternly, hoping she would get the hint that he wasn't interested and then he decided to add something that would hopefully send her away. 'And I do have to get back to mowing the lawn now.' He started walking towards the rusty machine thing again, but of course the girl just happily followed him. _

_She actually grabbed his wrist and pulled him back with some sort of weird giggle that annoyed Gaara immediately. 'But we haven't even done your back yet. You don't want to get burned.' And eagerly she started rubbing her hands all over his back again, them finding places he rather not have them. _

_This really went too far, but Gaara wasn't sure how to get rid of a girl so eager as this one. Helplessly he started glancing around, hoping he would find someone that could help him. Unconsciously he looked up at Neji's house and there saw the brunette sitting in the window. He watched Neji for some time, but then just averted his eyes, rubbing his eyes to get some sort of tension out. Of course his neighbour was laughing his ass off right now at how ridiculous this must look. _

In a matter of a second Gaara's eyes were directed in his way, and it made Neji want to duck away or something, not wanting to get caught staring. Quickly he decided against that, though. Not only would he make a fool out of himself if he did that, but Gaara already had seen him anyway, so it would be completely pointless. Hopefully the redhead hadn't noticed the way his face only seemed to flush even darker now...

Then Neji noticed how desperate Gaara looked. Did he really wanted to get rid of the girl that badly? ...Should he go help him now or something like that? Neji hesitated a little at first, but then he figured it was the least thing he could do now, if he wasn't going to apologise for his rude behaviour from the day before.

So instantly Neji was on his feet and he made his way downstairs. In the hallway he passed Hinata, who, as soon as she laid her eyes upon him, did another attempt on trying to ask him the same thing as before, in her usual, stuttering voice. Now Neji actually gave her the silent treatment, thinking that what she was trying to ask him probably wasn't as important as she'd claimed anyway.

After putting on his shoes while half-listening to his cousin's rambling, Neji went outside without a word. Immediately he was met with the even hotter air that hung outside as soon as he opened the front door. He didn't pay much attention to it though, and he simply walked over to his neighbour's house, the scent of freshly mowed grass filling his nostrils.

His eyes immediately landed on Gaara and the girl, who still was busy with rubbing her hands all over his back. And now Neji was able to hear her annoying voice as well, as she cooed at the redhead about something useless. Damn, now he really understood why his neighbour wanted to get rid off her...

Quickly Neji walked up to the two, but as he was halfway through the yard, he suddenly realised that he absolutely had no idea what he was going to do, nor say. Oh well, maybe he would figure that out later. There was no way back now, as it would be really stupid if he suddenly would turn around and flee. So he continued to walk up to them, trying to seem as confident as possible. Just hopefully his face wasn't as flushed as before anymore, or even more important; hopefully the redhead wasn't mad at him because of yesterday...

_Gaara kind of jumped away as soon as Matsuri put her hands on his butt and angrily turned towards her, but thankfully for her Neji just came walking towards them and even if he was here to make fun of the redhead, Gaara was going to use this opportunity to get rid of the girl. First he needed to make up a strategy, but soon something hit him that would definitely make the girl go away. This would be perfect and she would never bother him again. _

_Quickly he started walking towards Neji, fake smile plastered on his lips as he looked back at Matsuri out of the corner of his eyes. 'H-hey,' he said, trying to sound happy and excited or something like that, but it just didn't really fit his tone and he was sure he would never use this tone for real. 'I hadn't expected you so early. I just need to finish up the last bit and then we can go.'_

_He had now reached Neji and leaned in close, pretending he was giving him a kiss on the cheek. On the mouth would be better, but then he certainly would freak out the brunette and his plan would fail. Gaara made sure he leaned in close, so that he could whisper to Neji and make sure Matsuri wouldn't hear. 'Can you please play along and pretend we are dating. I seriously am on the verge on throwing that girl over your fence just to get rid of her.'_

A look of confusion crossed Neji's features when Gaara suddenly walked up to him, with a smile on his face and actually sounding a lot more cheerful than usual too... Had the redhead been expecting him? Before more questions could form in his mind, Gaara suddenly leaned very close to him. Neji couldn't help but notice how bare his upper body still was, and he was sure he could feel his heart skip a beat. God, what was wrong with him?

But then Neji heard Gaara's words, and suddenly everything click in place. Oh, well that explained everything... He just wanted to get rid of this girl by pretending that they were dating...

'Oh. Uhmm, yeah... I just thought it would be a nice surprise to come over a little earlier, but I didn't know that you were busy,' Neji said softly, deciding to play along with it like the redhead had asked him to. To make their little act a little more believable, he quickly took a hold of Gaara's hand, his own hand being very clammy as he did so. His eyes then fell back on the girl. 'Who is this? Is she a friend of yours?'

_Though Gaara didn't want to turn around and face the girl again, now he kind of had to. First he grabbed Neji's hand tightly, his hand shaking a little, because this girl was really getting on his nerves and his last smoke had been a while. Slowly he faced Matsuri again, his smile disappearing just at the sight of her. 'This is Matsuri,' he said in a monotone. 'She stopped by and saw me struggling with my sunscreen, so decided I needed some help.' He then turned back to the brunette, plastering that weird sweet smile on his lips again and let a finger slide over the taller boy's chest. 'Although I rather had it done by you.'_

_That should be enough of a hint. Now Matsuri should get the loving and sexual vibe from them both and just leave and indeed when he looked back at the girl again, her eyes were wide and she was already moving towards the fence. _

_'Oh, I am so sorry,' she apologised, an awkward smile on her lips as she quickly jumped over the wood. 'I don't want to intrude, so I'll leave you two alone and uhh…' She seemed to be looking for the right word and slowly a smirk formed on Gaara's lips. 'Do some sweet stuff and things.' And gone was she, her heels clicking away against the pavement until she disappeared around the corner. In relief Gaara let out a soft sigh, giving Neji's hand another squeeze unconsciously. _

A soft sigh of relief escaped Neji's lips as soon as the girl, apparently named Matsuri, disappeared out of sight. Luckily she'd fallen for their little act, otherwise they probably needed to get even more intimate than they already had to show her that they "really" were dating, and that was something he really didn't want. The way Gaara had let his finger slide over his chest sure had been a little weird, and it only confused him even more. And not to mention when the redhead had said that he rather wanted him to rub the sunscreen all over his bare chest... Even though Gaara hadn't actually meant it, the images of his own hands running all over his chest still came to Neji's mind...

Shit, why was he even thinking of this? It didn't make any sense, because he really wasn't gay. He never had those thoughts about another guy either, so why did he suddenly have them now? But now Neji thought about it, he'd never actually showed any interest in a girl either... Damn, this really was confusing...

'Well, I don't think she will ever come back to you, so you don't have to worry that she's going to bother you again,' Neji murmured softly as he turned back to face Gaara. But as he did that, his gaze suddenly fell on their hands, which were still linked together. Immediately he retracted his arm, holding it close to himself, his face turning a bright pink colour yet again and he suddenly felt even more awkward than before.

'Uhmm, I think my uncle is calling for me,' Neji lied, maybe a bit too quickly. 'So, uhm, I see you later! Bye!' He stalked off as fast as possible, not wanting the redhead to notice his blush, nor his uneasiness. It didn't even occur to him that this also might've been rude, but Gaara probably needed to finish to mow the lawn anyway, so he would only stand in the redhead's way. That, and Neji still needed to figure out what the hell was wrong with him. Maybe he should get therapy now as well...

_A shock ran through Gaara's body as soon as his hand was released from its hold, quite surprised by it. It was weird to admit, but it actually felt kind of nice and also eased his nerves a little. Although it did help that the girl was gone as well. Why did this suddenly had to happen to him? He wasn't even friendly and then this dumb girl throws herself at him as if he would even be interested. He just didn't care for people, period. It was already hard to be nice to his brother and sister, let alone a complete stranger. The only time he made that effort was for Neji, but that didn't work out well, so why try again?_

_And then suddenly Neji said goodbye and started moving away, startling Gaara yet again. He stared after him for a while and then suddenly feeling the urge to say something. 'Thank you for that. You really helped me out. I owe you one.' And that was all he had to say, just watching after Neji as the guy disappeared. It was kind of sweet of the brunette to come and save him and he certainly hadn't expected it. Not with the way they had parted yesterday. _

_Now that he was alone again he could return to his mowing job, Gaara suddenly noticed that it had gotten darker and as soon as he looked up the first raindrop landed on his cheek. That was unexpected… Especially when it started to rain much harder, soaking the redhead in mere seconds. That was a way to cool off as well, in more ways than one. _


	4. Chapter 4

Characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

_Dana_

Alicia

* * *

Another day had passed and Neji still didn't have the slightest clue what was going on with him. Gaara's bare chest, Gaara invading his personal space by leaning so close to him, holding hands with Gaara a little longer than necessary - simply all the events that had happened the day before just were impossible to forget, no matter how hard he tried. And even when he managed to think of something else, it didn't last as long as he wanted, the redhead being on his mind in no time again.

And the fact that his uncle finally had found out how important their new neighbours actually were didn't help either. Neji didn't even know what made them so important, as he simply hadn't listened to Hiashi's incoherent rambling about whatnot, but what he did know was that he now was forced to go to the redhead's house to become friends with him or something. Great. Just great.

Sadly Neji knew he couldn't go against his uncle's words and simply refuse to do it, because then he really was screwed. So now he currently was standing in front of Gaara's house and knocked on the front door, patiently waiting until someone would open it.

Honestly, Neji still had no idea what he now was supposed to say to the redhead, especially not after running off like he did yesterday. Telling him the truth wouldn't work. Who wanted to become friends with someone who just was forced to be nice to you? Nobody. So Neji needed to think of a different strategy, but his mind currently was blank. It just was so hard to think of something after everything that had happened...

_It was Gaara who opened the door for Neji. He should be surprised that the brunette was there and actually wanted something apparently, but at this point he was too annoyed to even care. His face was still blank of emotion, but his lip kept twitching downwards at every sound his siblings made and his eyes were slightly darkened, promising something else to come. _

_And even before he could say something to Neji as some form of recognition, his sister already spoke up. 'Don't let the boy stand in the rain. Let him inside already, Gaara. Show some manners.' Wisely he kept his mouth shut and just stepped out of the way, but all this whining of his sister and his brother trying to pick fights with Temari was getting on his nerves and the fact he was forbidden to smoke inside didn't make it any better. _

_Of course he had tried smoking in his room, trying to hang out of the window and all, but Temari had caught him and taken his cigarettes away. What kind of idea was that anyway?! So now he was stuck inside, with his annoying siblings, without anything to calm him down, because he was definitely not taking any medication and this rain also made it quite impossible to go outside, because he couldn't get sick of course. Temari's words again. _

_'What do you want?' he then murmured, having already turned around and looking at his sister who was unpacking a box and his brother who was staring at Temari, probably thinking of another way to annoy her more. They were just so… Irritating… _

For some reason it was quite a relief when it was Gaara who opened the door, instead of someone else. Neji still hadn't met the redhead's sister yet, nor the other guy who he assumed to be his brother or something. So if he had to explain to them what he was coming to do at their house, it certainly would be even more awkward.

Surprisingly Neji now didn't feel as uneasy as the day before, but maybe that was because the redhead now was fully dressed rather than being half naked. But that didn't take away the fact that he still was a bit tense.

Slowly Neji stepped inside the house, lazily running his fingers through his slightly wet hair. It actually was pretty funny how the redhead had listened to his sister as soon as she'd commanded to let him inside, but of course he wasn't going to let Gaara notice that he was slightly amused by this.

'Oh, uhmm...' Neji was caught off guard by the sudden question. Shit, he still had to come up with something! 'I, uhm, I just... I thought it would be nice to spend a little more time together...' Neji lied, this being the first thing that came to his mind. It really was a lame excuse, but hopefully it still would be a little believable...

Neji quickly averted his gaze from the redhead, so he couldn't read it off his face that he was lying, and he simply looked at the other two remaining people who were present in the room. He'd seen them before, but from the window the distance just had been far too big to get a good look of them. But now he had the chance to study them a little better.

...Wait, was he supposed to introduce himself to them now as well? They seemed quite busy at the moment, with unpacking their stuff. At least, the girl was busy with that. The guy actually seemed too occupied with staring at her instead... Pretty weird.

_Gaara just grumbled something under his breath at Neji's reply, knowing he should be nice and actually hang out with Neji. Otherwise he would get a lecture from his sister and he rather would kill himself than listen to that. But he really wasn't in the mood to hang out with anyone for that matter. Hopefully Neji hadn't gotten the wrong impression and thought Gaara wanted to date him. He didn't date period, much to his sister's dismay. _

_He made his way to the living room where both Temari and Kankuro were, unpacking books or whatever and decided to use this to maybe get rid of Neji and make him hang out with his siblings. He first motioned towards his sister. 'That's Temari.' And then his hand moved over to Kankuro who was about to say something. 'And that idiot is Kankuro.' _

_If his brother had actually heard what Gaara had said, then he would've called out one of his own insults, but he was still too focused on Temari, apparently having thought of some great joke he needed to tease her with. 'Hey, Temari. Are you planning on putting your dirty books on display as well. Gaara's friend would love to know that you love reading books about sex.'_

_And that was where it would all start again. It was even worse now, because Temari was embarrassed. It was a surprise that Kankuro had even noticed that Neji was there, but to use it to his advantage this way was just horrible. Gaara could feel his anger rising again, balling his fists. Why? Why was this necessary? He didn't give a damn about the fact that the brunette was here, but why couldn't they just get along normally and give him some damn peace. _

Lucky for Neji he didn't have to make the decision whether to introduce himself or not, because technically Gaara already did that by telling him both their names. It was a bit weird that the redhead called the guy, Kankuro, an idiot, but apparently Kankuro himself didn't seem to be too bothered by that.

Thus Neji was about to tell them his own name, since he figured that his uncle expected of him to befriend them as well, or needless to say expected him to be nice to them. However, before he had the chance to do that, Kankuro already spoke up, saying something that almost made his jaw drop.

Neji was silent for a moment, obviously very dumbfounded by the insulting comment Kankuro made towards the girl, who apparently was named Temari. But in the end he just chose to ignore it, since it hadn't been directed towards him and he didn't really know how to react to it anyway. Maybe it was just normal for them to insult each other like this...

'Uhm, hello. My name is Neji,' He began, even though it was quite obvious that both Temari en Kankuro weren't really paying attention to him. 'Eh, it's nice to meet you,' He finished his sentence with a polite smile, shifting a little where he stood in an awkward fashion.

_Temari glanced from Neji to Kankuro over and over again, her mouth opened in complete and utter shock. Had her brother really just said that? This couldn't be happening. The neighbour's kid had just come into their house for the first time, which still looked like crap according to her and the first thing he hears about her is that she once read Fifty shades of grey. Seriously, she hadn't even finished the series, just read that one book and Kankuro wouldn't let it go and even embarrass her in front of Neji. He was supposed to be Gaara's new friend. Their little brother never had friends and she knew he was lonely, even when he didn't admit to it. _

_'Kankuro!' she shrieked. And then their fight started, completely ignoring the two teens standing off to the side. This annoyed Gaara even more. Neji had been all polite about it, introduced himself nicely and they couldn't even respect this and started screaming right in front of him. And then he didn't have any manners. Yeah, right. _

_His whole body started to shake, his eyes focused on the floor in front of him as the screaming and the yelling was still going on. His hands had balled into fists, knuckles turning white. Eventually he just snapped and he didn't even realise it happening. A vase that had stood to the side was lifted up and with a loud growl he threw it against the wall across the room, it shattering into pieces. The whole room went quiet and Temari and Kankuro slowly turned their gaze towards the redhead, some sort of fear crossing their eyes. _

The smile that had been on Neji's face now disappeared as he watched as Temari and Kankuro started to bicker, completely ignoring his introduction. Normally he would think this was very rude, but it wasn't like he hadn't expected it. Not that he would've done the same thing if someone embarrassed him in front of a stranger like that, but somehow he could understand the blonde's reaction.

Before Neji's mind could even register what was happening, a vase suddenly flew through the air. He jumped at the sound of the fragile porcelain meeting the hard material of wall, breaking in the process. He stood completely still for a moment, shock written all over his face. Completely speechless Neji slowly turned his gaze towards the person who was the cause of this.

Maybe it was smart to go home now, but he knew that there would be consequences if he did that since he hadn't even been here for ten minutes. And how was he supposed to let his uncle know that their new neighbour just shattered a vase for a reason that still wasn't clear to him anyway? It wasn't like Hiashi would believe him... And at the moment he didn't really know who he should be more afraid of; his uncle, who was really dominant person, or Gaara, who all of a sudden lost control over himself.

So Neji just kept standing there, simply staring at the redhead with wide eyes, still not really knowing what to say, nor do.

_'Gaara, everything is alright. Let's just get a drink and we'll sit down and have a nice talk with Neji. Wouldn't that be nice?' Temari said softly, trying to appear sweet, but fear made her voice tremble. It was a longshot, because calming down her little brother once he lost it was almost impossible. But it wasn't so strange with the things the redhead went through with their father and how the boy was raised. He couldn't help it his temper was like this and therapy didn't help much. The drugs were even worse, but it did make the episodes go away. _

_But Gaara hadn't even heard what Temari had said, his eyes now closed and his face still directed downwards. 'You,' he started with, his voice shaking out of anger. 'I should just kill you and release you from your little problems. Always the bickering about useless subjects. You don't even focus on what's happening around you. You don't care about anyone else but yourself.' During his speech his eyes had opened and he was now staring at his siblings, some sort of crazy look in his eyes and a weird smile forming on his lips. 'So maybe I should just help you out. Make this all so much easier on you.' His voice started to increase in volume, his brother and sister cowering down in fear. Slowly he moved towards the two, grabbing a lamp from a side table, about to do much worse with it than throwing it against the wall. 'You guys will pay for everything!'_

_Before the lamp could actually come down on one of their heads, luckily Kankuro could grab him and kept his arms behind his back, making him unable to move. Tears were soundlessly streaming down Temari's face, relief going through her body. They had been through this enough, but she did blame herself. She should've known with all the stress of the last couple of days. _

_And then Gaara started to struggle against his brother's hold._

For some reason Temari's words assured Neji that everything was alright now, in all his shock not even noticing how her voice had trembled as she spoke. But apparently her words didn't have the same effect on Gaara as on him, as he suddenly started to threaten her with the death.

Honestly, Neji wasn't one to get scared easily, but the way the redhead sounded so serious about it all was just frightening. And of course this wasn't the first time Neji heard someone making a threat like this, but no one ever had been this serious about it as Gaara was, nor did they have such a crazy look on their face... And by the way both Temari and Kankuro trembled in fear, this really had to be something serious...

Neji's eyes only widened when Gaara grabbed a lamp and he couldn't help but take a small step backwards, although the anger wasn't even directed towards him. Luckily Kankuro was there in an instant, otherwise he probably would witness an actual murder or some other serious crime or something!

Shit, what was wrong with the redhead? Now Neji seriously started to doubt if he even wanted to be his friend, no matter what his uncle said. After the way Gaara threatened his sister, his uncle suddenly seemed less scary than before. Going home now really seemed like the best option to him. Maybe it was a bit rude to leave now and leave Temari and Kankuro to deal with Gaara, but what could he do anyway? It wasn't like he had anything to do with this, and it also probably was family business or something, so he shouldn't get involved.

Neji really felt sorry for Temari as he saw the tears streaming down her face. Must be tough to see your little brother like this, about to attack you with the purpose of killing you. But there was nothing Neji could do now, other than standing in their way. Staying here didn't sound very appealing to him either. Any lecture his uncle would give him would be way better than that.

'M-maybe it's better for me to go now,' Neji stated, not even noticing that his own voice was quivering now as well. And it wasn't like anyone was paying attention to him now anyway, so even if he'd noticed it, it didn't really matter anyway.

So like he'd said, Neji slowly started to walk backwards towards the front door, as if not wanting to risk to might get attacked in the back or something like that, although Kankuro seemed to have a pretty strong grip on the redhead.

_A loud scream left Gaara's lips as he kept fighting against Kankuro's strong hold and Temari yelled at him to bring him upstairs and lock him into his room. Finally she had found her voice again and she was so glad they had installed the lock the first day they moved in. Gaara didn't like it, but he didn't fight it then. Now he will hate it even more, but it was necessary. Better him destroying everything in his room than actually hurt someone._

_Kankuro dragged Gaara up the stairs, the redhead kicking his feet against his brother's shins just to make him let go, but Kankuro had gone through this before. Whenever Gaara had gotten in a fight with his father and it had escalated, his father ordered Kankuro to clean up the mess so to speak. He was a bastard and he had destroyed his little brother, but there was nothing they could do about it now. _

_With a rough push Kankuro forced Gaara into his room and quickly closed the door, setting the heavy lock on it. They would not make the mistake again where Gaara had been able to kick the door open. And as Kankuro moved downstairs again, they could still hear Gaara going nuts in his room, throwing things around and you could clearly hear things breaking. That was why he didn't have lots of stuff, because it never survived. _

_In the meantime Temari had reached for Neji's sleeve, wanting to explain things first and not just let him go being this afraid of Gaara. 'I'm so sorry you had to witness this,' she said, a sob breaking her voice. 'But don't blame Gaara for this. It's our fault. He can't help the way he is and we should've realised this whole situation was getting to him. But ever since father died he has been so quiet and he seemed to be doing really well, but I should've realised that something was troubling him. He had been smoking so much more lately.' She was more blabbing to herself now, finding all these things to blame herself. But she just really loved her little brother and she hated her father for making him act like this. But now Gaara would need to go into therapy again._

The only thing Neji really did was nod his head at Temari's explanation, only understanding half of it as it all was kind of incoherent. And not to mention how distracting Gaara's screams and the sound of breaking stuff were. But what he did understand was that this apparently was what Gaara had meant by saying that he was a lot nicer when he smoked. ...Was this also the reason that he needed therapy?

But still, this didn't really explain why the redhead acted like this. But with the state Temari currently was in, Neji couldn't really bring himself to ask her about it, not wanting to make this situation even harder for her by reminding her of what he assumed to be bad times. And of course, just like before, this weren't his business.

For a moment Neji was silent, appearing to be searching for the right words to say. Now he really wasn't able to think clearly anymore, but in the end he just said the first thing that came to his mind. 'It's f-fine, don't worry. I hope Gaara- I mean, I hope all of you will be alright,' Neji said with a barely audible voice, though it should be loud enough for Temari to hear. 'G-good luck with everything and, uhmm... Goodbye,' He ended his sentence with a small wave of the hand.

Without giving Temari the opportunity to say something as well, Neji quickly walked out of the house, still being in shock of everything that had happened today. Damn, ever since their neighbours moved into the house next to theirs, the days only seemed to get weirder and weirder...


	5. Chapter 5

And I would like to thank everyone again for the reviews!

As for the questions: Gaara and Neji both are around the age of 17.  
And we know that it is spelled as Sabaku and not Subaku, but we are kind of trying to avoid to use that as Gaara's last name, since he basically doesn't have one...  
I hope that answered all of your questions!

Characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

_Dana_

Alicia

* * *

_A few days had gone by without Gaara leaving the house much. Not that his siblings wanted him to stay there, but more because he didn't want to go outside and have more things triggering him. It was stupid, but it really bothered him that he had had an episode like that again. It had been months since his last one and he even had been able to quit therapy, up until now. He hated going there, talking about his problems and then the guy having all these opinions about him. He didn't like talking at all, but it did help and that was what frustrated him even more. _

_Now Kankuro was driving him from the therapist after he had taken his medication again. It was really something you needed to get used to, because now he just felt incredibly tired and wanted to sleep it off. The last time he had been on these he had slept at least twelve hours a day and the rest of the day he would just feel like crap. And the first couple of weeks would be the worst. _

_He took a collecting breath as Kankuro parked the car and then stepped out, thinking about something his therapist had said. 'I'll be back soon,' he murmured, not waiting for Kankuro's reply and walked over to the house next to theirs, moving through the gates that were still unlocked and walked over to the front door, leaning against the wall and lazily knocking on the door. Gaara closed his eyes for a moment and waiting for someone to answer the door. Better not fall asleep here…_

It was Hiashi who opened the door. It wasn't hard to read it of his face that Gaara hadn't been the one he'd expected to pay a visit at his house, but nonetheless he smiled down at the boy. 'Hello,' He greeted him, wondering what the redhead was coming to do over here at his house. Maybe he was here to demand an apology from his nephew?

'Ah, I sincerely apologise for my nephew's rude behaviour. Leaving your house like that wasn't very polite,' He said, obviously having no idea what had happened a few days ago. All he knew was that there hadn't even passed 20 minutes before Neji already came back from his visit by their neighbours, and of course Hiashi hadn't been pleased by that. The boy had looked quite upset though, and when he'd questioned him about it, Neji simply had shrugged it off before excusing himself to his room.

Of course this only had angered Hiashi even further, and he'd made sure he'd given his nephew another one of his lectures, which the teen clearly seemed to need lately. Hiashi hadn't made another attempt to befriend their neighbours yet though, not wanting to make a fool of himself or of the Hyuuga name by seeming too eager or something. So he had decided to let it rest for a few days.

_A bit dazed Gaara opened his eyes and looked up at the taller man, surprised when he stared apologising for whatever Neji supposedly did. He just raised an eyebrow and slowly pushed himself off the wall. 'There is no need to apologise,' he waved off and then glanced around the door, expecting to see the brunette much like the first time they'd met. 'I actually came here to apologise to Neji.' He hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out how to say this polite and not give away too much. It seemed the brunette hadn't said anything to his father about what had happened. 'He caught us at a bad time and I would like to make it up to him.' That sounded about right. Making up for the things that had happened, although he would expect that Neji didn't really would want to hang out with him anymore. He had been rather frightening, or so he'd been told. _

_Would the man just let Gaara in or would he have to wait by the door until Neji came down. He had to admit he rather not say these things so out in the open and possibly have other people listen in to his confessions. It wasn't easy for him to already stand here and wanting to apologise to Neji, but his therapist had said it would make him feel better, so better give it a try then. _

For a moment Hiashi went silent. So this did explain why Neji had been upset, but somehow he still wasn't able keep the look of surprise off his face at the fact that the redhead actually came here to apologise to him. The only thing Hiashi now really did was stare down at the redhead, as if expecting him to say that he was kidding or something at any moment. However, even after a few seconds had passed, Gaara still seemed dead serious about it, so Hiashi just nodded his head.

'Very well, then,' The older male replied before stepping aside to allow the redhead entrance to his house. 'Come in. I'll lead you up to my nephew's room,'

Assuming that Gaara would follow him, Hiashi made his way up the stairs and led him up to the door of the room which belonged to Neji. He knocked lightly at the door, before saying; 'Neji, there is someone here to see you,'

The sound of shifting was heard on the other side of the door and after a moment or two the door soundlessly was opened, revealing the other long haired brunette. He was also clearly surprised by the redhead's presence, but didn't say anything and he just eyed him curiously.

'Well, I assume you can manage yourselves, so I will take my leave then,' Hiashi declared, giving both teens a second glance. He let his eyes linger a little longer on his nephew's form, giving him a warning look as if saying don't screw this up. Then he did as he'd said by turning around and walking off, disappearing into his office.

_Carefully Gaara followed after the man, glancing around and feeling like his presence alone would break all the fancy stuff they owned. This was such a change to the place they lived in, even if they also owned a big house. Gaara felt very out of place here. _

_He just kept quiet as the male spoke to the door and then glanced up once Neji appeared, no expression present on his face. Neji mustn't have expected him, but that wasn't so strange. Gaara wasn't one to apologise and after what the brunette must have witnessed the thought of saying sorry must be somewhere far off in his mind. _

_No words left his lips, waiting until Neji's father left the hallway, not having noticed that the man had been referring to the brunette as his nephew at all. He simply assumed it was Neji's father and just ignored words that pointed him out, always replacing the word nephew for son somehow. _

_And then focused his full attention on Neji, having repeated the words he wanted to say in his mind over and over. 'I wanted to apologise for my behaviour the other day. I saw my therapist today and he told me it was healthy to share my story with new people and since you witnessed the whole freak out already, it seemed like the right choice would be you. Or at least that was what my therapist said.' Tiredly he rubbed his eyes, feeling like he should add more, but unsure of what. But his sleepy mind just kept blabbing and eventually he said more than he normally would've. 'And you stopped by that day out of your own choice and it seemed like you wanted to make friends with me or something, so I feel a little bad for that all, but you have to know that I can't really help it. Now I am taking the weird medication again, so I should do a lot better and well, sleep a lot more. So if you have any questions, you can ask them now.' _

_At the end Gaara took a deep breath, having said all those words in one go. His soft green eyes glanced up at Neji again, swaying a bit on his legs as if to say, please make me sit down somewhere, because I might just pass out. _

Silently Neji listened to Gaara's explanation. This only confirmed his earlier suspicions; that the redhead really had been in therapy for his violent behaviour. The fact that Gaara actually apologised to him surprised him even more, since the other didn't really seem like the type of guy who easily said sorry. Even though it apparently was because of his therapist that he'd done it, but still if Gaara really didn't want to, then he simply just could've refused or even lie to the therapist by telling him that he was going to apologise and then simply not do it, right?

Then the part suddenly came out of him paying a visit to Gaara and wanting to become friends with him, all out of his own free will. Those words actually made Neji feel bad. It hadn't been his own choice to do that, but his uncle's... Of course he wasn't going to tell that to Gaara. The guy probably would hate him if he found out or even worse, have another tantrum that would be directed towards him this time... No, that wasn't something he would like to experience, so he kept his mouth shut. Also, now Gaara had apologised and talked to him like this, he seemed pretty ...nice?

Neji simply nodded his head as soon as Gaara was done talking. Well, of course he had some questions for him, but would it be wise to ask them? This all seemed pretty personal and he could imagine how uncomfortable it would be to share stuff like that with a total stranger. But still, if the therapist had said that it would be good for Gaara, then it should be alright. And also if Gaara really didn't want to share it, he wouldn't have offered it, right? So it probably couldn't hurt to ask a question or two...

But just when Neji was about to ask one of his questions, he suddenly noticed how the redhead seemed to sway on his feet. 'Uhm, are you alright?' He asked softly. 'Would you like to come in?' As soon as the words left his lips, he quickly glanced behind himself to see if his room was presentable enough to receive any visitors, but, as always, it was as tidy as ever.

_'Thank you,' Gaara simply responded and stepped into the room, thinking with the way Neji glanced behind him, he offered for Gaara to step in. Normally he wouldn't sit down somewhere, but now he could barely stand on his feet, so he walked over to the bed and sat down on the soft mattress, hoping Neji wouldn't kick him off it. It just felt really good to sit down at this point. He'd rather sleep, but he also just wanted to get this over with. Apparently it would make him sleep better at night. Gaara would already be happy if he could sleep at all, but the medication did the trick. Even if they were dreamless sleeps and he didn't completely felt well rested, but at least he slept. And maybe this would actually make him sleep better, with dreams even. _

_His eyes glanced around the room, finding it very plain and way too white. But at least it didn't have a lot of stuff that could break, although some things looked rather expensive. Such a different life the brunette had. 'So is there anything I can do for you?' he asked absentmindedly, eyes still lingering over all the stuff as he sat back on the bed, forgetting it was rude to just make yourself comfortable like this, but it was just better to sit back against the wall. _

Neji simply shook his head at the question and closed the door to give them a little more privacy, in case Hinata would come to borrow something again or if Hanabi decided that it would be a good time to come bother him. He then went to sit down on the bed as well, but on the edge of it instead and crossed his legs.

Normally Neji wasn't one to be interested in someone else's personal life, but after witnessing the redhead getting violent like that a few days ago, questions certainly had formed on his mind and now it seemed like the best time to ask them. He glanced over at Gaara, who seemed to make himself comfortable on his bed. Resisting the urge to raise his eyebrow Neji simply said, 'so, if you don't mind me asking it, how come that you, uhm...' He paused for a moment, trying to think of something that would describe the situation the best. 'You know, suddenly got angry like that?' Okay, so maybe it wasn't the best description ever, but at least it would be understandable. Just hopefully Gaara wouldn't get mad at him for asking it. Although he was taller than the redhead, he still probably wouldn't be able to stop him like Kankuro had done...

_A question that was very expected, but this was something he always struggled with. The word always seemed a little weird. Some didn't even believe it was a real thing. 'I suffer from an anger disorder,' he started. 'There are times I have episodes like the one you saw a few days ago. I actually have been doing much better, but a lot of things have been happening and it gets worse when I suffer from stress a lot. And then with my siblings fighting I get frustrated more and more and then eventually explode.' _

_Gaara tried to think of better ways to explain it, but it was just very difficult. But he needed more words and it actually felt kind of relaxing telling it all like this. 'I went into therapy years ago and I was diagnosed with this condition when I was about seven. My father never really cared, just triggered me a lot and thought the medication would solve it. But eventually I stopped taking them, not liking the way it made me feel, but now I'm taking it again. My therapist wanted it and my sister kind of begged me as well. And I feel kind of bad for getting angry like that again. We've been through a lot the last couple of weeks, so they were just acting out their stress as well.' Of course they should've known not to act like that around the redhead, but with their father's passing they all have been on edge and they all tried to stay strong for the other. _

Neji was silent for a moment, averting his eyes to the floor as he let the words sink in. This must have been pretty tough times for Gaara, and of course for the rest of his family. Must be quite hard to see your relative getting an episode like that. He couldn't really imagine someone of his own family suddenly getting all angry like that...

Though Neji did think it was a bit weird that Temari and Kankuro hadn't kept it in their minds that, after all the stress they apparently went through, Gaara could have an episode at any moment. Maybe they thought it wouldn't happen now anymore, after the redhead hadn't had one for quite some time?

What Neji found a little hard to believe though, was that the redhead's father never really cared about it all. How could you not care about your own child? Now he thought about it, he'd never seen anyone else other than the redhead and his siblings enter the house next to his, so did that mean they lived without their father? But where was that man, then? He hadn't abandoned his own children, right?

After another moment of being silent, Neji slowly nodded his head. Being someone who usually never listened to other people's problems, he found it quite hard to react to this. It wasn't like he could say something useful that would make the whole situation better, and the redhead probably didn't want his pity either.

'Oh, I'm sorry. That's must've been pretty hard for all of you,' Neji ended up saying, kind of voicing his thoughts. He glanced at the redhead again, thinking about his story for a little longer, the other questions he had already forgotten about. 'I hope you'll be doing better from now one...' He added, hoping that would give his reply a little more content.

_When Gaara felt Neji's eyes on him, slowly he turned towards the brunette, eyes half lidded due to being tired. Now he just took his time and simply stared at Neji, noticing how light his eyes really were and how his bottom lip was a little thicker than the upper one. And he had to admit that the long brown hair was actually really beautiful. Maybe taking care of your hair actually paid off, but he was just too lazy for it. _

_Strange what kind of things you notice when your mind is too tired to think of other things. _

_And then a slight crooked smile formed on Gaara's lips, letting the words sink in and somehow finding them funny. 'Well, at least my father won't be the cause of any outbursts anymore, so I am sure I'll have much less episodes than before. He was the biggest trigger of all.'_

_He glanced away, eyes now focused on the window as he looked at the cloudy day outside, a humourless chuckle leaving his lips. 'This may sound cruel, but somewhere I am actually glad he's dead. Even if we are orphans now, I think we are better off without him. We have enough money to get through the next few years and I rather only spend time with my siblings than with that bastard around as well.' His smile faded during his words, it making place for a frown. He really hated his father. Because of him he had no idea what it was like to be loved. Not with his mother dying at his birth and he was sure Temari and Kankuro were more afraid of him than that they actually loved him. _

The look in Neji's eyes turned sad as soon as Gaara mentioned that his father was dead. He knew all too well what it was like not to have a father nor a mother anymore. However, the part that Gaara was glad that his father was gone did surprise him. What the redhead's father had done what caused Gaara to have so many episodes was a complete mystery to him, but he decided not to ask about it, his mind now wandering off to his own parents instead.

Even though he couldn't remember that much of them, as he only had been four years old when they had passed away, he knew that they both had loved him dearly and he still missed them every day. This probably also was the reason that he found it very hard to imagine that someone could be glad that their father was dead...

Neji released a soft breath he didn't even know he was holding. 'My parents both are dead as well,' He murmured softly and averted his eyes to the floor again. It had been quite a while since he'd last mentioned them...

_A bit confused Gaara turned towards Neji and only then realised that the man had referred to Neji as his nephew, not his son. How could he have missed that? But his face stayed expressionless, just staring at the brunette and having no idea of how to respond to this. Of course Neji felt sad about losing his parents, unlike Gaara. But what do you say then when someone misses something you don't miss?_

_Maybe it was more about the gesture and Gaara then carefully reached for Neji's hand, holding it lightly and giving it a slight squeeze, eyes still focused on the brunette. 'I'm sorry,' he murmured, hoping that would be enough. But somehow Gaara was happy that he wasn't the only one who was an orphan here, even if they experienced it differently, but maybe Neji could explain how it was supposed to feel and then he could almost imagine what it would be like to be loved._


	6. Chapter 6

The updates from now on will be slower than before, since Dana has to work, so we don't have as much time to write...

And tomorrow, Dana and I are going to meet each other for the first time in real life! I'm really looking forward to it :D

Apparently some people were confused whether this is going to be GaaNeji or NejiGaa. Just like the summary says, this is going to be GaaNeji, meaning that Gaara is going to be the seme and Neji the uke (Also, I personally don't really like seme Neji X_x)  
And just because someone is taller, doesn't mean that he automatically is the seme... Neji is originally taller (and older) than Gaara, and we just went along with that. Makes it a little more realistic, I think...

Characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

_Dana_

Alicia

* * *

_About a week had passed between the day that Gaara had stopped by Neji's place to apologise and today. The rest of that day they had spent together somehow, talking about useless things and just relaxing a little. Also because Gaara was still too tired to really do anything at that point. Somehow they had kind of bonded that day and had spent the rest of the week together as well. Not per se doing much or saying much, but just enjoying the other's presence a little. And also helping Gaara clean out his room and even paint the walls. It looked a lot better now and it even made the redhead smile._

_Now it was also a special day. After having enjoyed their summer vacation, now they had to go back to school and both looked very forward to it… Well maybe Neji did, but Gaara certainly didn't. Normally he wouldn't care that he didn't know anyone, but he actually liked the fact now that he had one friend there who he could sit with during lunch. At his past school he always ate alone, the other students avoiding him like the plague. _

_Gaara was sitting in the small red car he shared with his siblings, wanting to sneak out as fast as possible with it before they caught on. He stood in front of Neji's, motor running and ready to speed off. The brunette better get out soon, because otherwise they'll have to walk and they certainly would be late then. He flicked on a cigarette, smoking less now that he was taking his medication, but yeah, he was addicted and he liked it. So fuck everyone who had a problem with it. Which was his lovely friend Neji…_

About five minutes later, Neji finally came walking out of his house. After all those weeks of having free time and thus having the chance to sleep as long as you wanted, it was kind of hard to have to get up this early again, but he figured he just had to get used to it all over. But that didn't really matter to him right now since he kind of was excited to go to school again. Not really because of school itself since the classes usually were very boring, but at least he finally got to see his friends again. Hopefully they would like Gaara and accept him as one of their friends as well.

Quickly Neji walked up to the red car that was waiting for him, realising that if they didn't hurry now they surely would be late, and not to mention at the first day of school! Luckily Gaara owned a car, so they would arrive at the school a lot faster than when they had to walk. Before he got to know the redhead and everything, he always had to walk to school, as he didn't own a car himself, nor did he know how to drive. It wasn't necessary, as his uncle claimed. Yeah, right...

He quickly took place in the passenger seat. The first thing his eyes fell on was the damn cigarette. Even while taking the medication the redhead still smoked, unfortunately. Somehow Neji had hoped that he would quit completely, but no such luck. Oh well, it wasn't like he could do anything about it... So, just like always, he ignored the presence of the cigarette, just pretending as if wasn't there. 'Hello,' Neji greeted him and glanced at the redhead. 'Ready for the first day at your new school?'

_'Hn,' was Gaara's only response as he quickly drove off, avoiding his angry brother and sister who would give shit for this when he got back. But hey, they shared the car, so they all could use it and Gaara almost never did. So this was a good opportunity. Let them walk or take the bus or whatever they would need to get somewhere. _

_Thinking of his brunette friend Gaara cracked op the window and made sure to blow his smoke out of it, tapping the left over ashes out as well. There was another reason why he still smoked. He loved the way Neji would stare at his cigarette, his eyes clearly showing off his distaste for even when Neji tried to keep a neutral face. It was just amazing and just showed that even the brunette could be rude when he wanted to. So he would keep on smoking and wait for Neji to explode until he couldn't take the damn smoke anymore or because Gaara smelled bad or whatever else the sticks do to your body. _

_Keeping one lazy hand on the wheel and the other leaning against the window to keep the cigarette outside, Gaara drove them towards the school, hoping he would find it. The directions had been pretty clear and it was hard to miss, so he was pretty sure he would find it. And it also helped that Neji would probably tell him off if he took a wrong turn. 'And what about you? Are you looking forward to your first day of school again? Must be nice to see your friends again,' he murmured, taking another drag of his stick. _

Resisting the urge to raise one of his slender eyebrows at the response, Neji simply averted his eyes from the person next to him and gazed out of the window instead, bored watching as the different views flew by. He didn't really think that much of Gaara's short replies anymore, as he kind of got used to them in the week they had spent together. Not that he ever had thought that the redhead would be a talkative person anyway.

He was a little surprised when the redhead questioned him about it as well, but nonetheless answered. 'Well, of course it is nice to see my friends again. I haven't really seen them since the last day of school,' Neji murmured softly, thinking that it was kind of strange how they never actually hung out together in their free time. Or at least, not in the vacations...

'I'm sure they'll like you. And you'll probably like them as well.' Neji had absolutely no idea why he said that. Maybe it was to assure either Gaara or himself a little. It probably was the last option, since the redhead didn't really appear to be the slightest bit of nervous or whatsoever. Or maybe he just didn't give a crap...

_Gaara glanced over at Neji for a moment, thinking that was just the polite thing to say when you talk about your friends. He would probably like Neji's friends. The brunette knew better than that. Gaara didn't really like people and it was a miracle he was okay with hanging out with Neji in the first place, so the chance of him liking Neji's other friends would be slim. But he would try and he would tolerate them. He didn't want to mess up his friendship with Neji already. Somehow he had grown quite fond of his neighbour. _

_'We'll see when we get there,' he mused, placing the cigarette against his lips one last time before throwing the little nub out the window, uncaring of where it landed. 'First I need to figure out my class schedule. Do you think we have any classes together or will you have partners for your projects already?' A little bit of jealousy bubbled up, almost certain that the brunette would have someone in every class he had and Gaara would be left all alone again, doing the project with someone that hated his guts._

_Hopefully he wouldn't lose his temper at school like he had before, because then it would probably all be like before again. The one they would avoid and be either afraid of or challenge him. In a way he had been popular, but not in a good way…_

For some reason, Neji couldn't help but turn his head towards Gaara as soon as he heard the next question. 'I hope so,' he replied. It would be kind of nice to have his new friend in some of his classes. It probably would be nicer for Gaara as well since it wouldn't be as awkward if you knew at least one person there instead of being confronted with a class full of unfamiliar faces.

'And no, not really,' Neji added after being silent for a moment. The group of friends he had only consisted of seven people, including himself. They were honestly nice friends, but somehow they all still had their own best friend within the group, except for him. So when it came to projects and other stuff like that, he was always the one who was left to find himself another partner. And most of the time it were people he didn't really like either! Kind of unfair now he really thought about it. This only gave him more reason to hope that the redhead would be in some of his classes. It would be a lot nicer to do projects with the redhead instead of someone else. Oh well, they would just have to wait and see...

_Finally they had reached the school and Gaara was proud he had gotten there without any of Neji's comments of him driving wrong. That meant he had done it right the first time he had tried, because the brunette would definitely have said something. He kind of liked that fact, because it meant that Neji wasn't afraid of him. It was important to him that his new friend wasn't and would stick around. Losing someone close to you wasn't easy and well, of course his father's death had affected him. Not that he would admit it to anyone._

_Gaara parked the car right in front of the school, probably taking some spot he wasn't supposed to, but he just didn't give a crap. 'Well, let's find out then and you can tell me which classes we can do together, because I am making you walk me to the front desk and get my stuff,' he announced, not giving the brunette any room to protest as he got out of the car and waited for Neji to get out to lock it._

_Now that he had gotten used to the company of his friend he didn't want to be alone a lot anymore. It actually kind of annoyed him, because he was a loner. But even if he was with Neji and they were just quiet together, the fact that someone was there was nice. If you wanted to talk, you could. Not that Gaara ever really did, but he could and that was the point. _

Neji couldn't help but roll his eyes a little at Gaara's statement. Apparently he was going to have to wait until lunch break or something until he finally got to see his friends again. Oh well, whatever. He'd spend several weeks without seeing them, so another couple of hours wouldn't matter either. And it wasn't like he was really desperate to see them or something...

So Neji decided not to argue with Gaara about it. He probably would've done the same if their roles were switched and he was the new guy here. Well, maybe he would've asked Gaara to walk him to the front desk instead of announcing it like he had done, but whatever...

Realising that his mind was wandering off, Neji quickly got out of the car as well. He waited until the redhead had locked the vehicle before saying: 'Fine, then. But we will have to hurry now, or otherwise we are going to be late and my uncle certainly won't be happy if he hears about that,' With that, he turned around and walked off towards the entrance of the school, assuming that Gaara would follow him since he didn't really know his way around here anyway.

Lazily Neji eyed the other students who were scattered around the schoolyard as he made his way towards the school. Considering their body language, most of them didn't seem too happy about the fact that the vacation really was over now and that they had to go to school again.

_With a roll of the eyes Gaara followed after the brunette, the mentioning of Neji's uncle already annoying him. From what he had heard about Hiashi the guy wasn't really nice to Neji and demanded too much, but the teen was too polite and well-mannered to say something about it. Gaara would've flipped like he had done with his own father numerous of times, but it would be a miracle if Neji ever did. _

_Not one moment did his eyes meet the others around him, uncaring of who they were. If they were Neji's friends, then they would've come up to him and then Gaara could acknowledge them. It was just not necessary now. They moved through the big doors leading into the school and immediately reached the front desk to the side. With a mumble he addressed the lady behind the counter and told her who he was and what he needed and at that she vanished, grabbing him the stuff he needed or something. At least the bell hadn't ringed yet, so there was no problem yet._

_Lazily he leaned his arm on the side of the counter, staring up at his friend. 'So when will I meet your friends? Do you have any classes with them?' he asked, suddenly curious about whom these friends even were. What would they be like? Definitely not like Gaara, but would they be like the nerds or the bullies or maybe just this group that moves around quietly without anyone really noticing them? It really could be any of those. Maybe he would find out if they had classes with some of them together._

As they waited for the lady to return, Neji leaned a bit against the counter as well, kind of mimicking Gaara's actions, and let his eyes trail over the familiar hallway he'd walked through so many times already. He just shrugged a little at the questions. 'Yeah, with some of them,' He only really answered Gaara's last question, since he didn't have a clue when the redhead really would meet his friends. Assumingly in the lunch break or something like that, but it kind of depended on which classes they had together.

Of course Neji already could tell the redhead who of his friends he shared classes with, but he decided against that, since that would be kind of pointless. Gaara didn't even know them yet, so he wouldn't know who he was talking about anyway. It was better to wait until he could introduce the redhead to them properly. Hopefully Gaara would like them, although the redhead hadn't seem to be too enthusiastic or anything close to that about it when Neji had mentioned it before, so his hopes for that weren't too high. If they didn't really like each other, then at least he hoped that Gaara would tolerate them and that they would tolerate Gaara, and then everything was going to be fine, right?

_The lady returned and handed Gaara his papers, silencing the conversation they were having, although he hadn't known how to respond to it anyway. Mumbling a thank you to the woman he walked off, glancing down at his schedule, not knowing where the classes were or which he would have with Neji. He then just held it out to the brunette, wanting him to study it to guide him through the school and tell him which classes they had together. _

_'First class is Math apparently, so great start of the day for me.' Why that course existed was still a mystery to him, but he needed to take it and it wasn't like he was bad at it. He was actually quite good at every class he had, never having failed a test before and he was a lazy studier. He was just blessed with a photographic memory or something or that was what Temari called it. Gaara was just pleased with the fact that it all went so easy. _

_But first things first, getting to his locker where he would also find his books. And he would need Math, History and Physics for his first three classes. Hopefully the books weren't too heavy. And where the hell would he find his locker. 'Also do you have any idea where my locker is?'_

Without a word Neji took the schedule from Gaara, glancing down at it briefly. He already knew that his first class wasn't math, so that would mean that Gaara would have to manage on his own for now. But the redhead should be fine, so he didn't worry too much about it.

Neji merely nodded his head at the last question and mentioned for Gaara to follow him, meaning that he would lead him up to his locker. As they walked, he took his time to study the schedule a little better. 'Well, as far as I can see we only have two classes together; English and PE,' He stated while tracing the words on the paper with his index finger to confirm it. Unfortunately it weren't as many classes as he'd hoped, but hey, at least it was something...

Abruptly Neji stopped walking, realising that they had reached Gaara's locker already. 'Well, there it is.' His finger now was pointing at the locker which now belonged to his new friend. 'But, uhm, I have to go now, otherwise I'm still going to be late,' He murmured softly and handed the schedule back, realising that there really wasn't that much time left now anymore. 'So I'll see you at lunch, then!' With that said, Neji quickly walked off into a different direction, not even realising that this might've been rude, as his mind now was focused on the thoughts of his uncle and what his reaction would be if he found out that he'd been late, at the first day of school not to mention. For the same reason he also completely forgot about the fact that he hadn't even told Gaara in what direction his class was in...

_A bit surprised Gaara stood by his locker, looking at the retreating back of his friend and he couldn't help but wonder if he would be left like this every time they were in school. Especially now that the brunette's friends were also here and well Gaara wasn't someone you could flaunt of to your friends. Slowly he grabbed his books from his locker and looked at his schedule again, not even knowing which way he needed to go now. _

_So he just wandered around until he found the right room, the bell having ringed long ago. As he entered the classroom, the teacher glanced up at him, but didn't care much. Apparently reading one of his books was more important and of course the guy had known Gaara was coming. So this class was boring and the people around him practically ignored him, although he found some blonde peeking glances at him and shooting him smiles, which was pretty odd, but Gaara didn't think much of it, simply deciding to ignore it. Like he needed attention like that. And with that his first class creeped by and the blonde guy actually led him towards the second class, something they shared as well and then had the nerve to sit beside him. At some point the guy had introduced himself, but Gaara hadn't been paying attention. And as the classes flew by, Gaara noticed he had a lot of classes with this guy and it was quite displeasing at the moment, but he would get through them. Maybe this guy was smart and would it be easy to do projects with them._

_And then the last bell rang, signalling it was lunchtime and with a sigh Gaara pushed himself out of his chair, glad the blond boy had vanished from his side to go off somewhere he enjoyed most. First of all Gaara would get a smoke outside and then he would find Neji since he had said they would meet at lunch time._

Finally! The first period had seemed to take forever and Neji was glad that it finally was over now. Although the thought of that they still had a whole day ahead of them was kind of disheartening. Oh well, at least the good thing about this all was that he now was minutes away from seeing his friends again.

Neji left his class as fast as possible and made his way over to the lunch table he and his friends usually sat at. There it would be kind of hard for Gaara to miss them. As soon as he arrived, he was immediately greeted by his friends, some of them sounding more cheerful in their greetings than the others. He didn't think much of it, as he kind of had gotten used to it over the years. A small smile formed on his lips as he greeted them back before sitting down as well, immediately feeling at ease. It would be kind of hard for Gaara not to like them, right?

As that thought ran through his mind, Neji suddenly felt a bit nervous. What if he was wrong and Gaara really wouldn't like them? Or worse, what if Gaara eventually decided that he didn't want to hang out with them at all? Then he maybe had to choose between them! The people he'd known for several years and always hung out with, which had caused him to grow very fond of them? Or the new neighbour with the anger disorder, who his uncle insisted him to become friends with and he actually had come to really like over the days? For some people it wouldn't be a hard decision, but it certainly was for him. So for now, he could only hope for the best...

_After Gaara had had his cigarette, glaring at some of the other smokers, he left the outside world again or more like the playground for teens with too many hormones rushing through their veins. Really, did they need to make out right next to the entrance? _

_A little annoyed the redhead walked over to the cafeteria, glancing at the signs to where he needed to go. Normally Gaara was never nervous, but right now he could actually feel his heart racing a little. What if Neji would ignore him during lunch and he really was all alone now? With a slight hesitation the redhead pushed open the door and studied the cafeteria filled with people he, of course, had never seen before. Eventually his eyes landed on the table where Neji was sitting at, also noticing the blond boy that had talked to him in every class he had so far. And with the way they were chatting friendly and even smiling a little he suddenly felt very out of place. _


	7. Chapter 7

The meeting with Dana was awesome!  
Sorry, that just needed to be said :P

Characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

_Dana_

Alicia

* * *

_Slowly Gaara made his way over to the table and stood a few feet away from it, staring at all the people sitting beside or opposite Neji. How was he supposed to introduce himself now? Just flop down and not care or first clear his throat and politely gain their attention or something? He had no idea what kind of people Neji was friends with, so it was hard to measure what would be the right thing to do. Gaara didn't want to screw it all up right away._

_But before he could even do anything, blue eyes fell on him and a happy grin formed on the blonde's lips he had met before. 'Hey, it's the new guy!' he said enthusiastically. 'I thought you didn't like me, because you didn't say anything all morning,' he added sadly and then smiled again as he continued. 'But I guess you did since you are here now! Come sit with us and finally tell me your name.'_

_Well, that was unexpected, but at least he had gained everyone's attention now. Maybe not in the right way though and that blonde was kind of weird. Why would he think Gaara was here for him? The redhead hadn't spoken a word to him and had also forgotten his name, so that was also great. But he needed to say something now of course. _

_'Sorry, I am here for Neji,' he said in a monotone, eyes moving towards the brunette and settling on his friend, hoping he could save him out of this situation._

Neji was silent for a few seconds, his eyes darting back and forth between Gaara and his blonde friend, Naruto. He hadn't expected that they already had met each other, but now he thought about it, it wasn't that weird. Naruto always was the type who tried to befriend everyone. Apparently Gaara had been in Naruto's class and considering that he was the new guy here, the blonde probably had tried to become friends with him as well. But judging by Naruto's words and the redhead's reaction, it hadn't worked out too well.

But then Gaara's response came, and it surprised him even more. Although he was deadly honest, it probably hadn't been the best thing to say. Naruto only had tried to be nice, but saying that he wasn't the reason why the redhead was here was a bit rude. Probably wouldn't give his friends the best impression about him either. But despite that, Neji decided to ignore it, hoping that his friends would do the same and at least give Gaara a chance.

He glanced at the redhead for a moment, seeing the look that he was receiving. Apparently Gaara felt a bit awkward as well? So Neji quickly spoke up in an attempt to save the situation, not giving Naruto the chance to reply to Gaara's blunt answer. 'So I see you two already have met each other,' He began, clearing his throat a little. A somewhat nervous smile formed on his lips as soon as he noticed that everyone now had followed Gaara's example and that there were seven pairs of eyes directed at him now.

'Uhm, this is Gaara,' Neji quickly continued and motioned towards his redheaded friend. 'And this is Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto, as you may know already.' He pointed to each person as he introduced them and after that he quickly mentioned for Gaara to take a seat as well.

_The only seat that was still left was actually beside the blonde friend, apparently called Naruto. This time Gaara would try to remember it since he was Neji's friend. Too bad he actually couldn't sit next to his friend, but there was no other way. With a slight nod he greeted everyone and then sat down beside the blonde, shifting a little uncomfortably. _

_Naruto hadn't even noticed how rude the comment could be and was more interested in how Neji and Gaara knew each other. 'Well, I know I know Gaara from Math class and History and…' He started summing up more classes and Gaara realised how many classes he would be stuck with the blonde. So he better tried and make friends with him, because otherwise he was screwed. 'But where do you and Neji know each other from? Are you dating Hinata? You are so handsome, I bet you have a beautiful girlfriend and Hinata would be perfect for you, right Sasuke?' The blonde happily turned towards his raven friend, wanting him to agree with him on everything._

_Well, this wasn't awkward at all… Dating Hinata? Gaara had barely seen the girl, so dating her would be like the hardest thing ever. Way too shy and Gaara wasn't really interested in dating anyone anyway. 'No, not dating Hinata or anyone for that matter,' Gaara spoke in a monotone, making sure Naruto knew he was single and happy with that as well. 'Neji and I are neighbours, so that is why we know each other.'_

_The whole idea of how the two knew each other were out the door as Naruto only focused on the first part. 'You don't have a girlfriend?' Naruto questioned. 'But you are so handsome. I bet you have girls swooning all over you, right Sasuke?' he questioned his raven friend again._

Neji was glad that as soon as Gaara sat down, everyone went back to minding their own business again and that he wasn't being watched anymore. So he silently listened to the conversation Naruto was trying to have with Gaara. The fact that the blonde changed the subject so easily from how they met to girlfriends kind of surprised him, although he could've expected it. Typical Naruto, always interested in everyone's love life...

While the blonde questioned Sasuke about it, Neji tried to imagine what Gaara would look like with his cousin hanging off his arm. It would be very weird, as both their appearances and their personalities just didn't seem to fit together. And if Hinata actually had seen Gaara having an episode, then she probably either would've fainted right on the spot or she would've ran away and hide whenever the redhead even came close to her. The girl was just so shy...

Sasuke's dark eyes met Naruto's face, both his eyebrows raised at the question. 'Yeah, sure,' was the only reply that really came from the raven before he averted his eyes again. Obviously he wasn't really interested in their new companion. Or maybe he just didn't want to admit that the redhead indeed was as handsome that he probably would have tons of girls swoon over him. Whatever it was, it was clear that the raven rather not wanted to get involved into their conversation.

_'Meh, Sasuke. What kind of reply is that?' And with that Naruto was turned towards his other friend again and Gaara let out a breath he apparently had been holding. It was one thing to have girls sometimes call him handsome, but suddenly a guy also called him handsome made it a little strange. It made Gaara a little suspicious, curious as to what Naruto really wanted from him. Hopefully he wouldn't be asked out on a date by the guy since he definitely wasn't interested. The guy talked way too much. _

_The thought of dating a man actually didn't bother the redhead as much. Mostly because he had never been out on a date before, so with whom his first would be didn't really matter. It would be a miracle if he said yes anyway. _

_And then suddenly some blonde girl was around Naruto's friend's neck, happily smiling and all and the blonde looked a little irritated, turning towards Gaara with a huff again. 'Stupid fangirls,' the blonde murmured and Gaara only raised an eyebrow, unsure of what was going on here. But it seemed Sasuke had fangirls and the redhead was suddenly very happy he wasn't him. Maybe he could try and make the blonde feel better._

_'I bet Sasuke finds the fangirls just as stupid,' he mumbled, looking over at Neji for a moment, still feeling a little lost without his friend next to him. 'It's not that pleasant to be attacked by girls randomly.'_

_Blue eyes shot up to him, surprise written all over Naruto's face. And then a soft smile formed. 'Yeah… Thanks.' Then Naruto looked over at Neji, his happy mood back as he grinned over at the brunette. 'Hey, Neji. I like your friend. He's nice.' And with that the blonde leaned his head against Gaara's shoulder for a moment, as if he was acknowledging him as a friend. Kind of weird and Gaara wasn't sure how to reply to that._

Neji just watched as Naruto continued to interact with Gaara and a weird feeling suddenly started to bubble up when he noticed how easily the blonde seemed to become friends with the redhead, something which had taken him about a week. It was quite hard to read Gaara's thoughts off his face though, so he couldn't really tell if he liked to be Naruto's friend or not. He probably did, because who didn't like to have friends? But, for some reason, Neji mentally told himself that he didn't really like it. The redhead didn't like that many people, so why would he like someone like Naruto?

Wait, what was he thinking? He wanted Gaara to become friends with Naruto and everyone else, right? So his thoughts didn't make any sense... But still, it didn't take this unfamiliar feeling away...

Was it... was it jealousy...?

No, of course not! That simply was impossible, because he was Neji Hyuuga, someone who never was jealous. Not now, not ever!

Only when the redhead suddenly looked over at him, Neji snapped out of his thoughts and noticed that he'd been staring at both Gaara and Naruto. Quickly he averted his gaze to the next best person, who happened to be Sasuke with some random girl hanging off his neck. Apparently even after the vacation, the girls still hadn't decided that it was time to back off.

Sasuke only looked even more irritated now. He rather had his blonde friend bother him again with stupid questions about how handsome the new guy was instead of having to deal with those annoying girls bothering him. Without a single word he unwound the girl's thin arms from his neck, not even sparing her a glance to make it clear that he wasn't interested in her at all.

_Gaara started to fidget a little, the need for another smoke rising while he just had one. But it felt like Neji was ignoring him. Not a word had left the brunette's lips after he had introduced Gaara and in his mind those words now sounded very cold, as if Neji didn't want him here. It could be something he imagined, but it was there and it bothered him. Not even a comment was made about Naruto liking him. Maybe this friendship with Neji was short-lived. Maybe he should become good friends with Naruto since he seemed very willing. _

_Soft green eyes turned towards the blonde again, purposely ignoring Neji now. 'Since you questioned me about my love life, you must have a girlfriend,' he simply stated, keeping his eyes firmly directed on Naruto. _

_A deep blush settled on Naruto's cheeks, quickly shifting his eyes towards the table, but what not went unnoticed by Gaara was how for a moment his eyes landed on his raven friend. 'N-no, no girlfriend.' And that stutter was something interesting as well. He could focus on this and maybe have some fun. And at least this might form some sort of weird bond between them. _

Even though his face still was directed towards Sasuke, Neji still was watching Gaara from the corner of his eyes, carefully studying the redhead's actions. Of course he couldn't help but notice how the green eyes left him, not sparing him a second glance anymore and then of course the question about Naruto's love life was asked.

He didn't know why, but it actually hurt. If it was the fact that he wasn't important enough for Gaara to pay any attention to anymore or how the redhead suddenly seemed to be very interested in the blonde, he didn't know either. It probably was the first option, but that didn't mean that the second option didn't hurt at all.

Gaara was his friend, right? Not Naruto's... Neji knew that it was wrong to think like that, since he actually should be happy about this, both for Gaara and himself. For Gaara, because he finally made another friend. And for himself, because the redhead was now probably accepted by his friends.

But what if Gaara liked Naruto more than him? Or what if he didn't even want to hang out with him after this? Of course, it wasn't like he and Gaara were very close or anything, because how could you grow that close in just a week? But still, he had felt like Gaara understood him better than anyone else. He was also an orphan, so he knew what it felt like to have no parents anymore. Sure, he felt a lot different about his parent's deaths than Gaara did, because he apparently was glad about his father's death, but still... he did feel some sort of connection with the redhead in a form he'd never had with other people before.

But what could've made the redhead ignore him all of sudden? Had he done something wrong? Neji couldn't really recall anything other than just sitting here and observe the two teens a little, but that couldn't have angered Gaara or something, right? Suddenly he felt like asking Gaara, as he certainly wanted an answer to that question, but now didn't seem like the right moment to do that, with everyone else sitting here and stuff... So maybe he should wait until their next shared class or even after school.

Neji was so focused on his own thoughts that he didn't even notice how Naruto had looked at Sasuke after the question about his love life, but the raven himself sure did. Sasuke glanced at the blonde, giving him a look that could've meant anything, but Naruto should know that it was a warning one.

_Quickly Naruto shook his head, knowing he needed the change the subject. So he put on his best smile again and turned towards Gaara. 'So you and Neji are now friends, right? How did that happen? Somehow you don't seem like the type to be Neji's friend or something. No offence of course.'_

_Well, that was an odd thing to say and Gaara looked at the blonde a little surprised, sneaking a glance at Neji right after to search for some help. How in the world was he going to answer that question? He didn't even like talking and now he was forced to. Naruto really wasn't his type of person, but it didn't matter anyway. That other guy seemed to be much more important anyway, so no worries there. _

_'Uh, well, Neji and I are neighbours and we were bound to meet of course,' he started, looking at Neji again as if he wanted the brunette to confirm his words and then glanced down at the table, feeling a little uncomfortable by all these questions. 'And then we found out we had some things in common and uh, it kind of just happened I guess. It was easy as soon as we both didn't mind to become friends.'_

_A blonde eyebrow rose at the last comment and Gaara knew then that he had said something else. He could feel others looking at him as well, wondering why he said such a thing. Of course they had never met anyone who was quite antisocial. 'Why wouldn't you want to become friends with Neji? He's like really awesome and quite nice if he likes you,' Naruto said happily, placing his arms in his neck as he leaned backwards. _

_The if he likes you part made Gaara glance over at the brunette, not understanding what that meant. So if Neji hadn't liked him, then he wouldn't be nice to him. Well, he wasn't that nice right now, so did that mean something? This was why he didn't want any friends. It was too confusing and it made his brain all confused. Being alone was so much easier. Maybe he should just through an angry tantrum and make everyone afraid of him. _

Yet again Neji was pulled out of his thoughts, this time by one of Naruto's questions. It was kind of surprising how the blonde picked up a subject that he dropped so easily before, since apparently Gaara's love life had been a lot more interesting. But he also had to admit that this had sparked his interest. Even though he already knew the answer to the blonde's question, he still wanted to know how Gaara would describe it. Maybe he even would get some answers to his questions...

It was quite interesting, but also a little disappointing as he listened to how Gaara explained how they had met and stuff. It hadn't really described anything about him, nor what Gaara really thought about their friendship. But he kind of could've expected it, since that hadn't been the question at all...

But then his own question suddenly was answered, only not by the desired person. Though it was quite nice to hear that Naruto thought he was "awesome" and that he actually was quite nice. It was true, since he actually could be an asshole to people who he didn't like. He kind of had acted like that to Gaara in the beginning, too, when he'd given him the tour through the neighbourhood... Actually very stupid of him since Gaara really was a nice person if you got to know him. So now he just hoped that the redhead wouldn't notice this...

Although Neji didn't really have anything to add to Gaara's answer, it still felt like he needed to say something, even if it just was something nice. He'd noticed that after the question, the redhead did look at him again, but it still didn't feel right, so maybe that would lighten the mood even just a bit.

'But Gaara is very nice as well,' Neji said softly, and only after the words had left his mouth he realised how stupid it actually sounded, just to say something like that while he wasn't even involved in the conversation. It only made it sound even more stupid if you considered that he had been quiet almost the whole time. Not that he normally was a very talkative person, but he never had been as silent as he was right now... He didn't know whether it was because he didn't know what to say, or just so he could follow Naruto and Gaara's conversation, but maybe it was a mix of both.

_As soon as the words left Neji's lips a slight smile tugged on Gaara's lips, having heard that for the very first time. So he was actually very nice… Why did it mean so much to Gaara that Neji found that of him? Why did he care about the brunette's opinion so much? It didn't matter. It was just nice to hear someone say such a thing about him and even better when it is your actual very first friend._

_And then the strangest thing left Gaara's lips and even as the words came out, he wondered why he had said them in the first place. 'Neji gives me too much credit. I am not that nice or at least not as nice as he is.' Carefully the redhead looked up at Naruto first, meeting a very sweet smile. Something that made him wonder again, but there was no time to respond, not for anyone. Because suddenly there was another person at their table, almost jumping up and down on her feet that was how excited she was. Her eyes flicked from Neji to Gaara and back to Neji again, biting her lip as if to keep certain words again._

_'Okay, I just have to ask, but there has been a rumour going around that Neji and the new guy are dating. Is this true?'_


	8. Chapter 8

I would love to thank everyone again for the lovely reviews! They really make my day :3

Characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

_Dana_

Alicia

* * *

It took a moment for his mind to register what the girl just had asked, but as soon as it did, Neji was only able to stare at her in shock and his jaw almost dropped because of her bold question. Well, the nice compliment Gaara had made now was completely ruined by her...

Mentally Neji shook his head. That wasn't important right now! He just had been accused of being gay for god's sake! He could feel his cheeks heathen up in embarrassment and for a moment he allowed his eyes to wander off to the redhead's form just to see what his reaction was to this all. But like expected, he just looked as stoic as ever...

Did it look like he and Gaara were in love or even something close to that? Where did she hear such a stupid rumour, anyway? And how many people already had heard of it by now? A lot of questions now were running through his mind and Neji only snapped out of his thoughts as soon as he noticed that everyone's eyes now were either directed at him or Gaara. Some of them looked just as shocked as he was and others were giving them questioning glances.

Frantically Neji started to shake his head. 'No, of course it isn't true!' He quickly exclaimed, kind of snapping at the girl. He mentally cursed when he noticed that his voice had sounded more high pitched than usual.

_An invisible eyebrow rose when Gaara heard the question, not really having expected anyone asking that. Slowly he glanced over at the brunette, seeing the panic on his face. Okay, at least he knew that this rumour was bad and should be denied. He didn't care much, but it wasn't his reputation that was on the line. Neji probably didn't want to be seen as gay in front of his friends._

_But how did this rumour even start? They hadn't really been seen together today at school, so it couldn't have started there or people really were that dumb and thought people driving together to school must be a couple. Couldn't be the case… And then he remembered something else. How they had used this excuse for something else or someone else to be precise. _

_'Does Matsuri go to this school?' he asked no one in particular, glancing down at the table in thought. It was Naruto who answered with a confused yes, not understanding what that had to do with what they had been accused off, thinking it was strange to want to change the subject now. 'Then I will assume she started the rumour. You may tell her that in fact Neji and I are not dating, but I just wanted to get rid of her.' Maybe not a smart thing to say about a girl and not very nice either, but it should at least safe them a little bit or at least he hoped that was the case. Unless Matsuri was dense enough that she thought this was a lie, because she was just amazing. Girls could really be weird at times…_

_'Oh,' the girl answered and then scampered off, not happy with the answer she had gotten. This was no fun… So maybe the rumour should just stay and she wouldn't tell Matsuri anything…_

Everything suddenly clicked into place as soon as Naruto confirmed Gaara's question about Matsuri attending this school. That explained everything! What a bitch... When Neji had helped Gaara out, he had no idea that Matsuri also went to his school. Kind of bad for him not to know such a thing, but he just didn't pay that much attention to the other students, unfortunately. If he had known this, then he surely would've thought twice about pretending to be dating Gaara... Sadly it was too late for that now.

Though, for some strange reason, Neji didn't regret the fact that he had helped Gaara. Matsuri really had been annoying, from what he'd seen. If he had been in the redhead's situation back then, then he probably would've done something similar just to get rid of her... And helping the redhead also probably had helped to gain him as a friend. But of course he did regret the way he had helped the redhead out of it, because now he was suffering the consequences of it...

Maybe it had been a lot better if they just had told Matsuri to back off, because Gaara obviously wasn't interested in her. That would've been a bit rude and he probably wouldn't have agreed to it back then, but still, it was a lot better than having such a rumour going around the school.

And now Gaara also had said that they just had done it to get rid of Matsuri anyway, so it wouldn't really matter if he told that to her back then or now. In any other situation, Neji would've rolled his eyes at the comment. Now he honestly didn't give a crap about it since it only was the truth and let this girl know that they weren't really dating. Hell, he didn't even care if this girl told Matsuri about this. Would serve her right...

A soft sigh escaped Neji's lips. 'Oh god, I never thought that something like this would happen...' he murmured softly, more to himself rather than to anyone else, letting his head hang low. Shit, never he would've thought that the first day of school would be ruined like this...

_A certain blonde was shifting uncomfortably next to Gaara, glancing from the redhead to Neji and back again. 'Well, I wouldn't mind it if you were dating,' he offered, his blue eyes now focused on Gaara's face, wondering what kind of answer he would get. _

_It was a rather strange comment and also kind of nice. Curiously the redhead turned towards Naruto, watching him for a moment before replying. 'I have to disappoint you, but we are really not dating. Thanks for your support though. If I would ever start dating a man I would keep in mind that I will have your support and of course you will have mine back.' Lazily he turned his eyes back towards the table in front of him, the subject not really interesting him at all. He really didn't care about such a rumour, but Neji really seemed to hate it. 'I don't really know how it would be to date anyone, but I think it wouldn't matter if they would be male or female. The first thing would be that they'd tolerate me,' Gaara admitted absentmindedly, thinking about how the dating thing would even go. _

_Softly Naruto smiled at him and gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. 'I'm sure you will find someone like that and better, whether they are a woman or a man.' They both fell silent until the bell rang, pulling Gaara out of his thoughts. Time for another class…_

Still fussing about the whole situation, Neji only had half listened to the small conversation Naruto had with Gaara. But what he made up from it was that the blonde wasn't a homophobe and that the redhead apparently was bisexual or something like that. He didn't know why, but he wasn't too shocked by this... And apart from his whole uncaring attitude, this maybe also was the reason why he didn't seem to be too bothered by this all? Though he still wanted to hear the exact reason from Gaara himself, so what other could he do other than just ask?

As the bell rang, Neji waited for Gaara so they could walk together, just like Sasuke always did with Naruto. 'Doesn't this whole thing bother you at all?' he asked softly, studying the redhead's face as he asked the question. If the redhead really was bisexual, then he could understand that he didn't care that he just had been accused of being gay. But what about the fact that Matsuri hadn't been able to keep her mouth shut about the fact that they'd told her that they were dating? At least that should bother the Gaara, even if it was just a little, right? Although, knowing the redhead, he probably didn't really care about that either...

_Slowly walking towards his next class, wondering why Neji was walking next to him, Gaara glanced around the hallway, noticing that they were getting stared at a lot. And then the brunette's question came, answering his wonderings. Of course that would bother his friend, but the redhead just honestly didn't care. Why would it matter if people thought he was dating Neji? He actually had many answers to that question._

_Gaara cocked his head to the side, thinking what he should really say. 'Not really, but I don't see why it should bother me,' he started out carefully. 'You know I don't care about my reputation, so what people would think of me is something that just doesn't interest me and I also don't see dating you as something I should be insulted by.' Green eyes glanced up at the brunette, trying to measure the reaction he would get to this. 'And it also keeps other people away. I never dated anyone and I don't really feel like I should at this point. A rumour like this would help me instead, like my anger issues had helped before. But I do understand it's not good for your image, so I won't support the rumour. But I won't let it bother me either.'_

_That should be enough explaining and thankfully their next class was English, something they shared, so they could talk more about this, if Neji was willing to give up listening time to talk with him… Or exchange notes or something. But he was really hoping that Neji wouldn't reject him for this and not want to be his friend anymore. He kind of cherished it already and for him it was really special. His first friend shouldn't be lost over such a silly rumour._

After letting the words sink in, Neji slowly nodded his head at the explanation. 'Well, that kind of makes sense, I guess,' A small smile found its way to his lips at the little compliment Gaara made, about not being insulted by the thought of having to date him. Kind of nice of him to say such a thing. And he had to admit that, despite the fact that he wasn't gay, he kind of did feel the same about it.

'You know, although I rather have the rumour not being here at all, I'm still glad that it is with you, and not someone else,' Neji murmured softly, shooting a group of giggling girls a glare as soon as they passed them. What he'd said what true, though. He rather had people say and think that he was dating Gaara, instead of someone like Chouji, or Naruto... Not that he disliked them or anything, but still... Of course he wasn't going to say this out loud. Didn't want to provoke anything...

Silently Neji thought about Gaara's words a little longer. He kind of respected the way that the redhead really didn't care about his reputation or whatsoever, so much unlike himself and almost every other teenager. And it also was kind of nice of him not to take advantage of the situation by stimulating the rumour, just because he didn't feel like dating anyone. That meant that Gaara did care about him, right?

It also was kind of funny how Gaara automatically assumed that people would ask him out. But Neji knew that the redhead didn't think like that for nothing. Gaara really was handsome and Matsuri probably wasn't the first girl who had tried to flirt with him.

And then the anger issues... Did people really avoid the redhead before, just because of that? Neji knew it was a bit hypocrite of him to think like that, since he almost had done the same thing after seeing Gaara having an episode. But as far as he knew the redhead now, he really was a nice guy and Neji was glad that he could call Gaara a friend.

_Soon they had reached the classroom and Gaara had stayed silent, thinking why his heart had sped up when Neji told him he was glad the rumour was about them together and not someone else. It didn't make sense. He shouldn't care about such words. Sure, it was nice and all, but not that special. If you are friends it is better to have them started there and not with people you hardly knew. _

_Following after the brunette they sat down somewhere in the class and Gaara didn't care much about maybe stealing someone else's seat. At this point he just wanted to sit beside his friend, not caring if it would bring up rumours even more. They should be able to still hang around each other, right? And not be forced to spend time apart, because then Gaara would be left all by himself again since he didn't have any other friends. Maybe Naruto, but the guy was still Neji's friends first. This was all so difficult. He had hoped his first day at school would've been easier._

_Apparently they shared this class with Naruto and his best friend Sasuke as well, sitting right in front of them. The blonde turned towards the two teens, a bit of a worried expression on his face. 'Hey, I'm not sure if you mind the rumour much, but everyone is still whispering about it, so maybe let everyone soon know what is going on. You don't want to get it out of hand. Not everyone like gays and all, so it might cause some trouble and maybe even pain.' Slowly the blonde turned back around, falling into a whispered conversation with Sasuke._

_Should Gaara tell more people they weren't dating and who would actually believe them? That was the biggest problem. People always believed whatever they wanted to. Whatever was the most interesting thing and in this case it would them be them dating each other. Neji dating the new kid was a very interesting rumour indeed…_

It was kind of hard for Neji to resist the urge to roll his eyes at Naruto's comment. Like he hadn't thought about that... 'Well, do you think that something like that would make this situation any better? Should we just go explain to every single person in this school that this is just a misunderstanding?' He sounded a little more sarcastic than he originally had intended to, and in any other situation he actually would feel bad about it, since Naruto only was being nice by trying to help them out.

But at the moment, Neji honestly didn't care about that. He didn't even care about the fact that he actually had been talking to the back of the blonde's head and that he possibly had been interrupting the whispered conversation Naruto was having with Sasuke. 'If that actually would help, then I would've done that without a second thought. But people these days only hear what they want to hear, so I doubt if that'll work...' He sounded friendlier now, although he had no idea now anymore whether he was talking to Gaara or to the blonde.

'...Maybe it's better just to ignore it? That way, people maybe will get bored with it eventually and start a rumour about someone else...?' He then suggested, though he didn't sound really sure about it. He knew it would be very hard to ignore such a thing, especially with everyone gaping at them and asking questions about it, but what else could they do? Constantly denying it wouldn't help either, since that only would cause people to think that they were lying about it or something like that, right?

_A shocked blonde turned around again, staring wide eyed at Neji. 'Well, sorry for trying to help out,' he spat and then slightly turned again, murmuring under his breath, 'it's not even that hard to hide such things…' And the way Naruto then looked at Sasuke was enough Gaara needed to know. There was something going on, even if the blonde just had a crush on his raven best friend. It would be nice if something would happen there and these rumours do open up possibilities. _

_'I think when people ask directly we should tell them nothing is going on, but when people just yell at you and demanding an answer, ignore it and shrug it off. Eventually the rumour should blow over,' Gaara murmured, turning back to Neji. 'I don't know how long it will take, but it may only really fade away until one of us actually dates someone.'_

_And then there conversation was cut off, the teacher walking in and going through the name list. Apparently the guy was strict and paid a lot of attention to everyone, so there was no room to talk at all and the classes afterwards were only shared with the blonde again. And Gaara actually noticed that he didn't mind having Naruto around as much as he had anticipated on. He might be a little out there, but that was something that could be ignored. _

_Now Gaara was waiting by the car for Neji, the school day over and finally they could get away from the whispering people, the rumour still going strong. He wondered how many people actually knew about it already. Well, he would probably find out at some point. _

The day really seemed to last so much longer than usual now. The rumour had spread itself even faster than Neji had expected and some reactions were a lot worse as well. The curious questions about if there really was something going on between him and "the new guy" were truly driving him crazy, as it was kind of annoying to have to repeat the same story, but nonetheless he'd answered them honestly, telling everyone in a surprisingly nice way that Gaara and he were not dating.

Most replies luckily had been understanding nods of the heads, but there also had been people who'd raised their eyebrow at him, or even snorted, as if they really didn't believe it. The worst thing that had happened through the day was that one guy even had flung an insult about gay people at his head, but he simply had ignored that, deciding that it wasn't worth it to waste his time on, although it had irritated him to no end. Hopefully Gaara had a better day than he did.

So luckily the day was over now and he really had to keep himself from racing towards Gaara's car, just to get the hell out of here and get away from those never ending questions. So there Neji was now, walking to Gaara's car, ignoring all the eyes which were glued to him. Unconsciously a small smile made its way on his face as soon as he saw that the redhead already was waiting for him.

Maybe the fact that people could see him getting into a car with Gaara now would only make the rumour more believable, but whatever. If that really was true then it would mean that they couldn't be friends at all anymore, since every small interaction between them could be seen as something more intimate or something like that. And Neji wasn't planning on ending his friendship with Gaara just because of a stupid rumour. Why couldn't people just realise that they were just friends and nothing more?

'Hey,' He greeted the redhead as soon as he'd reached the car. Then he patiently waited until Gaara had unlocked the doors of the vehicle before taking place in the passenger seat and asking curiously: 'How was your day so far?'

_Gaara just gave a nod of recognition and unlocked his door, opening the door and sitting down only to lean towards Neji's door and take it off the lock. Something you got with old cars, but hey, at least he got one. 'Hn,' he answered first and then glanced over at Neji as the brunette sat down. 'I've never made an entrance this big at a school, but surely everyone knows who I am now. The guy dating Neji Hyuuga. My name is not important.' There might come some nicknames that were easier to remember, like Neji's butt buddy or something, but for now he was safe. At least they didn't know his name yet._

_The car started and Gaara drove out the parking lot, smoothly moving back towards their homes and getting away from all this crap. To relieve some stress he lit a cigarette, not even doing it to annoy Neji. This had been a hard day and he just needed a smoke. The brunette could just deal with it. And with that the redhead fell quiet, not wanting to talk about this awful day just yet. He would have to when he got home and if Temari went all protective on him, then tomorrow he would be teased for something else. Mostly being a mama's boy, even if Temari was his sister. _

_There was a spot empty just between their houses and Gaara parked there, sighing softly as he glanced over to the brunette. 'Well, we survived the first day of school, even if it was barely,' he mumbled and then felt like saying something else. 'I'm sorry for this all. It's kind of my fault if you think of it. I'll promise to be a better friend from now on.' And with that said he got out of the car and waited for the brunette to get out, so he could lock the car and get home, not feeling like repeating the fact they would be going by car to school tomorrow as well. Should be like a silent agreement, right?_

'No need to apologise. It's Matsuri's fault, not yours. And even if it was, then I would be just as much to blame since I went along with the act...' Neji murmured, a little surprised by the fact that Gaara really thought that this was his fault, which it wasn't, of course. Then he got out of the car as well. 'But anyway, thank you for the ride and, uhm, I'll see you tomorrow,' With a small wave of the hand he walked off, intending to relax a little now and also prepare himself for another long and hellish day at school tomorrow. With that on his mind, Neji entered his house, still completely unaware of the horrible events that were about to happen here...


	9. Chapter 9

Characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

_Dana_

Alicia

* * *

_A night had gone by and it was time for another day at school. It had been horrible telling Temari about what had happened at school and it wasn't like he could lie. His sister always knew when something was up and would question him long enough until he just spilled. Kankuro of course thought it was hilarious, but thankfully Temari punished him for that and the whole evening they tried coming up with a plan to make the rumour go away. Kankuro's plan was screwing some random girl and maybe just a few after that, but Gaara knew that this was just his own frustrations talking. Apparently the girl he liked had dumped him or something. Temari did say that dating a girl would make the rumour disappear, but that was only because his sister wanted a girl for him. Why were his siblings so determined to get Gaara to date?_

_Now he was waiting in his car again, having again the opportunity to take it before his siblings did. But Neji seemed even later today than yesterday and if the brunette wouldn't hurry up, they would definitely be late. Hopefully his friend wasn't too afraid to face the rumours again. The second day couldn't be as bad as the first one. This was very strange for Neji. He was always so set on doing everything perfect, so being late was nothing for him. But Gaara would wait patiently, not caring as much about being late and he definitely wanted to talk to Neji about what his siblings had said to him and also find out how his night have been. Many should have his cell phone number, so maybe he got stalked that way as well._

Of course it had occurred to Neji that he probably was going to be late for school now, but unlike yesterday, he didn't give a crap about it. He just couldn't bring himself to hurry up this morning. He barely had slept last night, his mind constantly being on all the events from the day before, and of course, the stupid camp. What would it be like? And how was that supposed to help him? It were all questions that kept floating through his mind, causing him to have a sleepless night.

So this morning, it had taken Neji a lot of effort to get out of bed, as he rather would've stayed there the whole day, but unfortunately he knew that he had to go to school. And when he eventually had managed to get up, it still had taken him a lot of time to get ready for school.

With a lot of reluctance, Neji forced himself to exit the house as soon as he was done with everything. A bit dazed he walked up to the red car waiting for him in front of his house. With a blank, expressionless look on his face he took a seat into the vehicle next to Gaara. 'Hello,' He murmured absentmindedly, not even looking at the redhead once as he greeted him, but staring straight ahead of himself instead.

_An invisible eyebrow rose, glancing at Neji and wondering where this weird absent behaviour had come from. Slowly he started the car and drove off, from time to time glancing back at the brunette and also trying not to crash into anything. Why did Neji seem paler than usual and why hadn't he said anything about being so late? This really wasn't the Neji Gaara knew, but what could've happened in the time they hadn't seen each other? Were there really send texts that bad to him?_

_'Are you alright?' he eventually asked, not being able to hold back anymore. Of course he didn't want to look like an overprotective freak like his sister, but he was worried. The silence was normal, but somehow it had turned awkward and that had never happened before. 'You seem a little distracted,' he added as if to explain why he asked. Hopefully nothing bad had happened to Neji. His hear clenched at the thought of it, guilt still present in his mind._

Neji could only blink at the question, not having expected it. Was it really that obvious that he wasn't feeling alright? For a moment he was torn between the options of whether he should tell Gaara or not, but eventually he decided it would be the best to do so. It would be kind of nice to be able to talk to someone and Gaara seemed to be the best person now. It was partly also about him, so he thought that the redhead deserved to know.

After a few seconds of not responding to Gaara's words at all, he slowly shook his head. 'No, not really,' Neji admitted and bit his bottom lip softly, wondering how he could explain this the best to the redhead. 'I, uhm. Well, my uncle kind of found out about it...' He began, thinking that Gaara should know what he was talking about when he'd referred the rumour to "it". For the first time that morning, he peeked a quick glance at the teen sitting next to him, just to see what his reaction was before he would continue his explanation.

_Well, there was no way Neji's uncle would take it as well as his siblings had done, but with the way the brunette reacted it must've been really bad. What could his uncle have said? He seemed to be alright except for the extra paleness and he even got in the car with Gaara, so what would be so bad then? Maybe some yelling of course, but that seemed very unlike the Hyuuga family. They were not as, how would you say that politely, insane as his family could be. It wasn't just Gaara that was a little weird, although he did win over his siblings. _

_'What did he say?' Gaara asked softly, glancing at Neji a bit concerned as they waited for the traffic light. The drive towards the school seemed to slow down and Gaara also drove under the speed limit, wanting to have as much time as possible with his friend. They need to talk about this before they got to school. Maybe they should have each other's phone number, although Gaara would first need a phone. But then they could at least call each other or something. _

_Why did his heart already ache when he saw the tired expression on Neji's face? Why did he care so much? Gaara didn't care, about anyone._

'Well, I guess you could say that he didn't take it too well,' Neji replied and then decided that it would be best to tell the whole story from the beginning. 'When I got home yesterday, my uncle already was waiting for me at the door, looking none too happy. He immediately ordered me to go to his office, so he could have "a talk" with me.' As he started to explain what had happened, he already could see the furious look that had been on his uncle's face before him again, causing a shiver to run down his spine.

'He told me that someone from school had called, and he was kind of pushing me to say what it was about. Then I tried to explain that it wasn't true, but of course he didn't believe me... And, well, he didn't go too easy on me.'

Neji wondered if it would be such a smart idea to tell Gaara what the consequences of the rumour had been, but then decided to continue anyway. 'He took away all my privileges and expects me to come home after school immediately. And he forbade me to see you, or any other guy for that matter,' he murmured a bit sadly. Now he thought about it, he realised that he hadn't really listened to that since he currently was sitting next to Gaara anyway. So hopefully his uncle hadn't seen him getting into the redhead's car... But still, his uncle couldn't really expect of him not to interact with any guy at all, right? Because with a school half filled with male students it would be kind of hard for him to avoid them all...

After a moment of silence, Neji spoke up again. 'But that was not everything. He also threatened to send me to some sort of camp where they teach you not to be gay or something like that, and uhm, he hit me.' Unconsciously his hand went up to his cheek as he said that, brushing the tips of his fingers over the skin lightly. Before this incident he'd never been slapped before, not by anyone, so it came as quite a shock when his uncle suddenly had done that.

Now he'd summed up all the punishments his uncle had given him, Neji realised just how bad his uncle had overreacted. From something as small as taking his cell phone and everything away to actually planning to send him to a useless camp and deciding that he couldn't even interact with another guy anymore. Jeez, at times like these he really wished that his own parents were still alive. They wouldn't have reacted like this, would they?

_Staying completely silent Gaara just listened to Neji's story, getting angrier and angrier. But not per se at Neji's uncle. More at himself or even that stupid girl that just had to tell everyone they were dating. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, knuckles turning white when he heard he wasn't supposed to see Neji anymore and then the fact that there was a camp. An actual camp that would turn you straight again? What was that even? How can you turn someone straight? It's not a choice or an easy decision you just made. And for god's sake, Neji wasn't even gay!_

_The foot on the gas pedal pushed further down, making the car shoot forward and quicken their way towards the school. Gaara didn't respond at all, but his aura had turned darker and an angry expression was on his face. At this point the medication wasn't working yet. He had only taken it about half an hour ago and it took at least an hour to actually settle in and keep him from doing stupid stuff. But Gaara hadn't expected something like this would happen during this morning and now he couldn't be stopped anymore. _

_His mind had turned blank as he turned up on the school parking lot and he had actually driven so fast that they made it on time, the school grounds still filled with children. And this was exactly what shouldn't have happened, but Gaara was very pleased. Immediately he got out of the car and slammed the door closed, not waiting on Neji. _

_Green eyes started searching for someone on the grounds, moving from face to face until they settled on someone he recognised. Immediately he stalked towards her and grabbed her by her collar, earning a shriek from the girl. 'You!' he spat in her face. 'This is all your fault. If you hadn't said anything, then I still would have a friend.' Matsuri flinched, covering her face when Gaara brought his fist up to punch her. _

Neji was surprised when Gaara suddenly sped up the car instead of saying something. Not the kind of reaction he'd expected to get, but by the way the redhead was driving and of course from the expression that had settled on his face, Neji only could guess just how angry Gaara really was at the moment. He couldn't really blame him though, since he'd felt the same after the conversation with his uncle yesterday. Maybe he even still felt a little angry right now, because it just was so unfair. But he had the whole night to let sink in and ponder about it, while this all still was very new for the redhead.

So he decided not to say anything about Gaara's driving, not really being in the mood to tell him that he was risking a ticket, or maybe even a car accident. And now they also had arrived at school much faster!

That would've been a good thing, until he noticed Gaara getting out of the car before he could, not even waiting for him. He hopped out of the car as well, wondering if the redhead was angry at him or something. However, as soon as he saw that he was walking up to the person Neji had come to grow a strong feeling of dislike for, Gaara's intentions became clear to him.

For a few seconds, Neji froze where he stood, a lot of thoughts running through his mind. Was Gaara having another episode right now? But didn't he take his medicine? Other people weren't familiar with Gaara's anger disorder, so they only would end up thinking he was crazy! Or maybe the redhead even would get suspended!

Neji knew he had to do something, but what? It wasn't like he could stop Gaara like Kankuro had done... So what was he supposed to do now?

However, he didn't have any time left to think about it some more as soon as he saw how Gaara grabbed the girl and raised his fist at her. Although Matsuri did deserve it to be punched, Neji didn't want things to end up bad for Gaara, so he fully acted on instinct now. He was there in an instant and he quickly grabbed the redhead's arm before he really could hurt Matsuri. 'Wait, Gaara! This isn't really necessary,' he said, of course being aware of all the other students who were looking at them right now. Great, this probably only would start yet another rumour...

_As soon as Neji's hand grabbed a hold of Gaara's arm, the redhead completely stilled, breathing heavily as he kept staring at the girl's face. How he despised that face at this point. And she looked so scared of him. It was amazing and he still wanted to punch that expression off her. She should feel the pain he had gone through all those years and then finally he found someone who actually made him a little happier and then this little twat ruined it all. Fucking bitch… _

_Hand shaking he released her collar and took a step back, eyes still boring holes in her face, hoping it would make her drop dead or something. Unfortunately he didn't have such powers, although it was probably a good thing for most people, because a lot of people would've been dead already. _

_Eventually he had cooled down enough to completely step away, the silence giving him time to relax a little. It seemed like everyone was afraid of him, but also too excited to see what would happen. Stupid teens always needing a good rumour. Ripping his arm away from Neji, Gaara turned around and walked back towards his car. He couldn't go to school right now. He would snap again and then he would seriously hit someone that didn't deserve it. _

_Getting in his car he let out a long breath, placing his head against the steering wheel and forcing himself to calm down. Now the rumour would come up that he was a crazy person that would just fight anyone, even girls, and the fact that Neji had stopped him made the other rumour even worse as well._

The look on Gaara's face actually was quite scary and if Neji hadn't known any better, then he maybe also would've looked just as frightened as some of the witnesses standing around them. But luckily both Temari and Gaara had explained to him why the redhead could act like this sometimes, so the only thing he currently was afraid of was that Gaara really would hurt someone here.

However, much to Neji's surprise, his attempt to keep Gaara from doing so actually had worked. He hadn't thought that he really had put much effort into it, especially not if you considered how difficult it was for his siblings to prevent the redhead from hurting people and ruining everything around him, but he was glad about it nonetheless.

Just like everyone else on the school grounds, Neji watched as Gaara made his way back over to his car and got into it. Apparently he was going to skip school, but maybe that was a smart thing to do at the moment, if he really was having an episode.

Neji shot Matsuri an angry look over his shoulder before quickly following after Gaara without really thinking. Not even the fact that he now would be skipping school as well occurred to him, nor that this only would make the rumour even worse and that there would be a high chance of his uncle hearing about him skipping school just to be with the guy he was "dating", who also happened to have an aggressive side. But if it did, then he probably would've thought twice about it, as his punishments for that would be far worse than they already were, if that was even possible.

But none of those things were on his mind as Neji got into the car as well, his attention now completely focused on the redhead. Somewhat hesitantly he placed a hand on Gaara's shoulder, not entirely sure if the other would appreciate his presence. He didn't even know if it was safe for him to be here right now...

'Are you okay?' Neji asked nonetheless, keeping his voice at a lowered volume, as if not to startle the redhead in case he might not have heard him getting into the car as well or something like that. Of course he knew that it kind of was a stupid question, since Gaara was anything but okay at the moment, but he just didn't really know what else he could say.

_Gaara shivered lightly when he heard the door open and a familiar presence sat next to him. He didn't know why it had such an effect on him, but he was just very happy that Neji was there next to him, sort of comforting him ever while the redhead should be doing that for Neji instead. The brunette had the problems at this point. Gaara was only about to punch a girl in the face, because he couldn't keep his anger down._

_'I-I'm okay,' he mumbled, slowly raising his forehead off the steering wheel and sitting back in his chair with a soft sigh, closing his eyes to calm down further. 'Sorry for that. The meds hadn't kicked in yet and sometimes when I get information I can't quite handle, I'll still break through them.' A humourless smile formed on his lips at the thought that came after. 'I already saw everything falling apart. Finally had I made a friend, the one who seriously is unfriendable, and then some bitch was going to screw it all up. She probably still is or maybe I did that now.'_

_His fists clenched again as he got angry at himself now and in frustration let out a growl. How could he have been so stupid? Now not only the rumour for them dating was in their way, but everyone would also know that he was aggressive. It would start all over again. He would be alone and here he wouldn't have his brother that could defend him. Because Kankuro had already graduated. This would be hell for him. _

Neji's eyes softened as he listened to Gaara's explanation and gave him an understanding nod of the head as soon as he was finished. Of course he had known that the redhead didn't have a lot of friends, or no friends at all for that matter, but with the whole uncaring attitude he always put up, he hadn't thought that Gaara really would be this desperate to have a friend.

'It isn't your fault, so there is no need to apologise,' Neji murmured softly, thinking that with Gaara's anger disorder, he had been surprisingly calm, or at least calmer than he had expected. Then he took a notice in how frustrated the redhead looked, so in an attempt to cheer Gaara up a little and to reassure him at the same time, he added: 'But there needs to be a lot more than a stupid girl who spreads rumours about us, or my uncle, to keep us from being friends, right?'

_A light smile formed on Gaara's lips as he looked up at Neji, the words really touching him. He nodded in response, glad that the brunette thought about it that way. Yeah, they would stay friends or at least Gaara would want them to stay friends. It wouldn't be him to break it all off and just turn to a loner again. He liked being alone all the time, but he had felt so much more comfortable with Neji around. It was strange really… _

_'You know it was quite impressive that you could stop me like that. Normally I would need a lot more restraint before I would actually stop from hitting someone. But I guess it was your voice that made me snap out of my angry thoughts or something,' he mused, more speaking his thoughts out loud than trying to make a point._

_Why was Neji so special to him? Was there something about the brunette that just touched him or something? There had been people who tried to become friends with him before, but eventually they all just turned away and Gaara hadn't minded, but Neji was here and Gaara actually wanted him to stay. _

_Green eyes were still staring at Neji's face, taking in every feature. He looked so soft and caring, just to make the redhead feel more comfortable. It made Gaara reach forward and let his thumb slide over the soft pale skin of Neji's cheek, just wondering what it would feel like. But he wanted to feel more. Those thin lips, the corners slightly up and so soft under the touch as Gaara's thumb slid over that as well. Before Gaara even realised what he was doing, he was leaning forward, closing the distance between them quickly and then carefully placed his lips against the brunette's. Why was Gaara kissing Neji? He really had no idea, but it did feel right._

* * *

And do you think that Neji would've enjoyed the kiss? xD


	10. Chapter 10

Well, apparently this still wasn't exactly clear for some people, but Gaara is indeed the seme and Neji the uke... And uhm, we're two girls... xD

Characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

_Dana (Dana-Eliza)_

Alicia (DeidaraLittleMonster)

* * *

Neji's mind hadn't been able to figure out what was going on with the touches on his face before a pair of lips suddenly were pressed against his own. Instantly he could feel his cheeks heat up and a strange feeling started to bubble up in his stomach, but it actually also was quite nice at the same time. Gaara's lips were just so soft... Before Neji knew what was happening, he allowed his eyes to slip close and suddenly found himself kissing back.

However, not a moment later Neji suddenly realised what he was doing. He was kissing Gaara! His neighbour, his friend, and not to mention someone from the same gender! Panicking a little, Neji quickly leaned away from the kiss and stared at the redhead with wide eyes.

Why did Gaara kiss him? It just didn't make any sense! Yesterday he had been telling Naruto that he wasn't interested in dating anyone and yet he was kissing him! You wouldn't just kiss someone if you really weren't interested, right? A lot of thoughts were now running through Neji's mind and they only ended up confusing him. Frantically he shook his head and then started apologising and rambling about how he wasn't gay at the same time.

Of course he also realised that this might ruin their friendship. Matsuri and his uncle may not have been able to do that, but what about a rejection? Neji certainly didn't want their friendship to end here. Not only he would feel horrible if Gaara would have to be all alone again just because of him, but he also had grown quite fond of the redhead. As a friend, of course. 'I would like to stay friends, though...' He murmured softly, not entirely sure if Gaara still wanted that as well.

_First when Neji just pulled back, Gaara still felt a bit dazed, his hands still up in the air as if they were still cupping Neji's face. And then the apologising started and the mentioning of not being gay and that kind of insulted the redhead. Quickly he sat back in his chair, looking out of the front window without saying anything as Neji kept on speaking. _

_What the hell just happened? The kiss seemed to be fine and Neji even responded to it! He had even pressed his lips back and had lingered into the touch and then he claimed he wasn't gay? Why the hell would you do such a thing then? To lead him on and then drop him like a brick? And then the comment came about him still wanting to be friends, because being friends was much and much better. Finally Gaara had realised there was something going on between them and that Neji was special in comparison with every other person he had ever met. _

_His hands turned into fists again, the knuckles turning white as he stared out of the window with empty eyes. He didn't respond to Neji's words and decided it would be better for his feelings to ignore everything that had happened. Just like he had done with his father and his mother and everything that had happened before that made him feel like shit. _

_'Let's just go to school. We already missed enough,' he said in a monotone and then got out, slamming the door closed and just walking off. Like anyone would steal his crappy car anyway? He just wanted to be as far away from Neji as possible at this point and deal with his feelings during a boring class. History it was! Hopefully Naruto would shut up and give him some space. Lunch would get awkward enough already… _

Neji was left with an empty feeling as he watched Gaara walk off. Still being completely in shock, he just kept sitting there, not moving at all. By the way the redhead's knuckles had turned white and how he suddenly had acted so distant, Neji almost thought that he was trying to prevent himself from lashing out at him. Luckily something like that hadn't happened...

Unfortunately Gaara hadn't replied to his comment on whether he still wanted to be friends or not. But by the way he suddenly had walked off like that, Neji kind of assumed that he didn't want that anymore. The thought made his heart ache a little, but what could he do about it? Beg Gaara to be his friend? Yeah, right... It wasn't like that would work and of course he also still had his pride left.

Maybe he would find out if Gaara still wanted to be friends with him at lunch. If he sat down at their table, then maybe Neji hadn't completely screwed it up yet, since when would you sit down at a table with someone you didn't like anymore? Although he also could be there for Naruto since they seemed to get along pretty well... Or maybe he would find out when they had English! Would the redhead sit down next to him or not?

With a heavy sigh Neji finally got out of the car, realising that sulking here wouldn't solve anything and it only was depressing him even more. With a lot of reluctance he walked up to the building as well, the motivation to go to school being even less now compared to this morning. It wasn't like he would be able to concentrate now anyway... And he was sure that if someone would ask if he was dating Gaara, he simply would go insane.

Another sigh escaped his lips. He rather just wanted to go home now... Unfortunately he couldn't do that, because if his uncle would hear him come home before school had ended, he certainly would be screwed even more. Damn, why was everything suddenly against him now?

_Of course Naruto had been blabbing his ears off and then also noticed that something was going on, because apparently Gaara seemed more annoyed then he normally did. How in the world could the blonde know? They had known each other for one freaking day, one! And it wasn't like Gaara was actually going to answer. It was none of Naruto's business anyway, so why would he? He should just mind his own business and leave Gaara be. It had been a crappy start of the day already anyway. And now he was rejected by his one and only friend!_

_Thankfully classes were over fast, but this time Naruto waited for him to join them all for lunch. First Gaara really needed a smoke and the blonde actually tagged along, saying it wasn't nice to go out by yourself. There was just no escaping the happy bundle of energy. But Gaara had to admit that it kept his mind from wondering off to the kiss and the amazing feeling it had brought him inside. He could still feel his lips tingling from the touch. The cigarette thankfully made that go away. _

_'Come on, man. Your cigarette is almost gone. Let's go!' Naruto said impatiently and Gaara wasn't in the mood to argue, so flicked the bud in the special bin and went inside, moving over towards the lunch area. Yes, Neji was already sitting there, but at least he wouldn't go there alone, having Naruto tagging along. So it wouldn't be too awkward. No, it would be. Gaara still felt rejected! Silently he sat down beside Naruto and some girl whose name he had forgotten, sitting opposite of Neji. It had been better if he had been sitting somewhere else, but there was just no room. 'Don't pay attention to Gaara. He's been in a bad mood all morning!' Naruto stated and Gaara just wanted to strangle the boy. Neji didn't have to know that! He wanted to keep these things private!_

So Gaara still was going to sit down at their lunch table. It didn't say much since he was accompanied by Naruto, meaning that he was here for the blonde and not for him... Those thoughts actually hurt a lot more than they should, but Neji just ignored them.

Then Naruto mentioned something about Gaara being in a bad mood and immediately his eyes were drawn to the said person, watching him closely. Usually Neji wouldn't really pay attention to the blonde's words when his own mood wasn't so great either, but for some reason this just simply caught his attention.

It actually made him want to yell at the redhead that he just should talk to him or something like that, but he didn't do that. In fact, he didn't do anything, except for just sitting there, not even realising that he now was staring at Gaara. But despite that he still appeared to be his usual calm and collected self. The only difference now really was that he was much quieter than usual, even more so than yesterday. Normally he would've been involved in some kind of conversation with at least one of his friends, but just not today.

'Or maybe you're just too happy,' Sasuke replied, a smirk set on his face. To others, it probably would've sounded like some kind of mocking comment, or even an insult, but the blonde hopefully should now that it only was some friendly teasing.

_'No one can ever be too happy,' Naruto replied immediately, nodding at himself as if he needed to confirm it or something. 'So it was definitely Gaara that was not happy enough. But since you know it so well, Sasuke. Why don't you cheer our new friend up?' he challenged, shooting the raven a smirk as he stared into those dark eyes. _

_Gaara had no idea what those two were going at now, but they should just kiss and then shut up! Oh, wait, kissing did nothing good. He snorted at his own comment he made in his head, glancing at the table in the process. So foolish! He could really just hit himself at this point, but nothing good could come out of that. _

_A soft sigh could be heard from Gaara's other side, pulling him out of his thoughts a little. 'Naruto, has it ever occurred to you that Gaara doesn't want to be cheered up?' He didn't remember the blonde girl's name, but it was nice of her to actually stand up for him. No one else was doing so. Not that he expected them to and he didn't want to talk back to Naruto, because then he would be screwed. _

_But he would respond to this though. 'What she said,' he said, shooting his thumb towards the girl next to him. Hopefully they would all get the idea and leave him alone. He didn't want to talk about this with anyone. He wanted to deal with this in his own way, alone. _

_'But Ino, I just want to help!' Naruto whined, his attention no on the girl and on Gaara. 'I don't like it when my friends are depressed.' Was the blonde hugging him? Oh lord, this day couldn't get any worse! _

The smirk on Sasuke's face only widened when Gaara actually agreed with Ino on not wanting to be cheered up. 'Well, do you think you're doing such a great job at cheering Gaara up, then?' he asked teasingly as soon as Naruto mentioned not liking to see his friend being depressed. A slender eyebrow was raised as soon as Naruto hugged the redhead. It was quite obvious that the raven didn't really like that, but despite that he still managed to hold his tongue.

The hug also hadn't escaped Neji. The same strange feeling he had the day before when he'd noticed how easily the blonde seemed to befriend Gaara suddenly was there again. But he quickly pushed them aside again, still telling himself that it wasn't jealousy. But at the same time he thought it was kind of weird since Gaara apparently wasn't even his friend anymore. The way the redhead seemed to ignore him completely only confirmed those thoughts, as he didn't even look up at him, not even when Neji kept staring at him.

_'Shut up, teme!' Naruto said, turning towards his friend and letting go of Gaara, finally. Why was the blonde so touchy feely? It really made Gaara feel uncomfortable. There was only one person he would be okay with if he hugged the redhead, but that wasn't about to happen. And of course he felt those pale eyes burning a hole in his skull, but Gaara just didn't want to face him. It would hurt too much at this point. And then to think of the complete fool he had made out of himself this morning just to defend Neji. _

_And then another blonde was focusing on him and Gaara didn't really appreciate it. 'You know what I do when I feel depressed? Eat loads of chocolate ice cream. It really mends a broken heart, even if it's just for a little while.' Ino sighed softly, shooting a glance over at the raven sitting at their table. But of course Sasuke had no eye for her. _

_What made this girl even think that his heart was broken? Well, it exactly wasn't entirely false, but he was pretty sure eating ice cream won't help him at all. But he did look up at Neji then, a light glare in his eyes. It was all his fault he felt this way anyway. With a sigh he looked away again, eyes focused on the table and studying its surface. 'I'm sure food won't help this time, but I might go out for a smoke again,' he murmured in response, not wanting to insult the girl by not saying anything._

Neji was surprised to hear how easily Ino figured out what was going on with the redhead and then actually tried to give him some advice. Typical Ino to do something like that. But when her words actually made Gaara look at him again, he was even more surprised. He was glad that the redhead at least was willing to look at him again, but the glare he was receiving only made him feel even emptier on the inside.

He had done the right thing to pull away from the kiss, right? Well, of course he had! After all he wasn't gay, so otherwise he only would be lying to Gaara if he said he was. That probably only would end up hurting the redhead even more if he eventually would find out that Neji indeed was straight. But Gaara had already known about that, right? So why had he kissed him, then?

The green eyes soon were averted from him again and then Gaara sort of admitted that Ino was right about him being heartbroken. Damn, this only made him feel like some kind of bastard, but what could he do about it?

Hearing that her blonde friend was involving herself in Naruto and Gaara's conversation, Sakura also decided to jump in. 'But Ino is right! Food really helps...' She murmured softly. 'But I'm sure there will be another girl soon enough to make you completely forget about your ex-girlfriend!' Like Naruto, she also was attempting to make their new friend feel a little better now. She obviously hadn't been paying attention when Gaara had confirmed Ino's statement about not wanting to be cheered up.

_Well, this was all quite unexpected. Why were they all so supportive, but maybe he could actually use their advice. At least they were willing to help and it wasn't like Gaara had a clue how to get rid of these horrible feelings and actually cheer up a little. _

_'And what if it's about someone who is just not interested in me,' he murmured, pulling Naruto's attention back to him with a shocked expression on his face that didn't say anything good. God, what did the blonde want now?_

_Naruto reached for Gaara's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. 'No way, but you are like incredibly hot. Why would someone not be interested in you? You just need to convince them that you are awesome and maybe show off a little of your sex appeal!' He nodded at himself and his friends again as to make a point and Ino just raised an eyebrow at his odd behaviour._

_'Stop drooling all over Gaara, Naruto. But he does have a point you know. Make sure the other notices you and it doesn't hurt to look extra sexy. I always quite enjoy it when a guy shows off a little more skin,' Ino added, getting a dreamy look on her face as she stared off in the distance. _

_Well, this was not helping much. Neji had certainly noticed him and he was pretty sure showing off extra skin would not help. Neji was just straight and he had actually wanted advice on how to get over this and not how to actually make someone interested. 'Thanks for the advice, but I don't think that will work,' he said tiredly, rubbing his eyes and then getting up. 'I'm going to get a smoke. I'll see you in class, Naruto.' And with that Gaara left the group and was ready to deal with this on his own again. The advice definitely had been useless…_

Neji just quietly listened as his friends continued to try to give Gaara some more advice. It was all kind of pointless, meaning that they obviously had no idea that the redhead was feeling this because of him... Would they blame him for it if they actually knew? Neji didn't really know the answer to that question, but decided right then that he didn't even want to find out.

Then Gaara left to get a smoke again, only really saying "see you later" to Naruto, even though the next class he had also was shared with Neji. It hurt, but it wasn't exactly unexpected. Oh well, the only good thing about Gaara not being here anymore was that he didn't feel as tense anymore...

Sometime later the lunch break was over and Neji now was in their English class, sitting right behind Sasuke and Naruto again. Gaara hadn't arrived yet, and for some reason he was getting quite nervous, wondering whether the redhead would sit down next to him or not. But deep down, he thought he already knew the answer to that question...

But then Neji suddenly realised that, if Gaara wanted to sit close to the blonde, then the only option would be sitting next to him, since the other seats somewhere close to Naruto were already taken. So if he, despite everything, still would sit down next to him, then it wouldn't mean much either since he probably only would do it for Naruto... Or maybe even just so they wouldn't draw any suspicion or something like that...

A soft sigh escaped Neji's lips. Damn, only thinking about this already gave him a headache. Somewhat impatiently he turned his gaze towards the door, watching as students entered the classroom, waiting for a certain redhead to come walking through that door as well.

_The extra smoke had relaxed Gaara a lot more and with an empty mind he walked towards his class. It wasn't like he was ignoring Neji on purpose, he had actually forgotten this class was shared with the brunette. The rest of his classes all had been with Naruto, so automatically he assumed that this one was only shared with the blonde as well. _

_But when he entered the classroom, his eyes fell on the blonde sitting next to his best friend and Neji sitting all alone, the seat next to him supposedly reserved for him. But it would be kind of sad of him to sit somewhere else, wouldn't it? It wasn't like he hated Neji. Quite the contrary. It just stung a little, that's all. He would get over it. _

_Casually he made his way over to the seat and flopped down, dropping his bag on the ground. He leaned his head on his hands, lazily looking around the classroom and just trying to block out the noises of all his classmates. Why did they always make so much noise? At least Naruto hadn't noticed he had arrived, otherwise surely the blonde wouldn't talked his head of already, asking about how he was doing and if he needed help to find a new girlfriend or something. Gaara rather never had fallen for anyone. How much easier would that have been?_

_But there was something else he still needed to ask Neji. His green eyes went to Neji, his head not turning with them. Out of the corner of his eyes he studied the brunette for a moment, seeing the awkwardness rising from him. And as his eyes went back to the front of the class, he spoke up. 'Do you still want a ride home or are you going to walk?'_

It was quite a surprise when Gaara sat down next to him, going against all the expectations Neji had at first. But at least this was a good sign, because this meant that the redhead didn't completely dislike him, right? On one hand those thoughts relieved him a little, but on the other hand he also felt a little sad. A small voice in his head whispered that he only was doing this for Naruto, although the blonde currently only seemed to pay attention to Sasuke and not to them.

Then Gaara suddenly spoke up, causing Neji to snap out of his thoughts. It took a moment for him to realise that he was the one the redhead was talking to, but once he did, he only ended up being even more surprised. He blinked at the question, not having expected it. Actually he already had assumed that Gaara wanted him to walk home now... But even though it probably only was for today, it still meant that the redhead was willing to bring him home, right?

After a moment of silence, Neji finally spoke up. 'It would be very nice if you would give me a ride home,' he answered softly. Briefly he glanced at the two teens sitting in front of him, just to make sure they wouldn't hear the next thing he said since that only would draw suspicion, but like expected, they seemed too busy with their own conversation at the moment. 'But I understand it if you expect me to walk home now instead...' As soon as the words left his lips, Neji glanced to the side, wanting to see the Gaara's reaction to this.

_'Well, you wanted to stay friends, right? Friends drive each other to school and back home.'_


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for all the lovely reviews again! Makes us happy to know that you guys like the story so far :)

Characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

_Dana_

Alicia

* * *

A day had passed since Gaara had confirmed his hopes about still being friends and since then Neji still hadn't been able to think of something else other than the redhead. It made him very glad to know that Gaara still wanted it as well or at least give it a try to be friends again. Although, much to Neji's disappointment, it still didn't feel the same as before, but of course that wasn't completely unexpected.

Like he had promised, Gaara nicely had brought him home yesterday and also picked him up again this morning, but during the whole ride from school towards their houses and vice versa no words had been exchanged. Normally they would have had at least some kind of small conversation and if that wasn't the case, then there would hang a comfortable silence between them. But now the silence had been anything but comfortable. It even could be called awkward with all the tension that hung in the air, but Neji just had ignored it and had looked out of the window instead.

Then Neji's mind went back to the kiss that Gaara suddenly had planted on his lips. They had been very lucky that the bell had already rang, so fortunately no one had seen it. But what if that hadn't been the case? Would Gaara still have kissed him? If so, then there would be no point in denying the rumour anymore since no one would believe him after seeing the "evidence".

Neji also couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if he hadn't pulled away from the kiss. Would Gaara assume they were dating or something like that, despite his own words about not being interested in such a thing? Or would he afterwards just pretend like it hadn't happened, basically what they were doing right now? And would everything be just as awkward as it was now?

A soft sigh escaped Neji's lips as the questions kept repeating in his mind. Currently they were in the dressing rooms to get changed, as it now was time for the second, but also the last class of the day he shared with Gaara: PE. Not one of his favourite classes, but hopefully it would take his mind off things a little. Thinking about everything that had happened only slowed him down with everything he did, even with a simple task such as changing clothes.

_Of course Gaara wasn't going to completely ignore Neji or even not treat him like a friend anymore. But he was still insulted and a little hurt. Wasn't he good enough for the brunette? It was already a miracle that Neji had wanted to be friends in the first place with all that was wrong with the redhead. But they had gotten along so well and it felt as if they had gotten so close. Somehow it made Gaara want more, even if he wasn't sure what it was. And then the whole comment about not being gay… How can someone just say that so easily? It annoyed the redhead mostly that he was pushed aside with that reason. At least give him a personal reason and not something that had to do with gender._

_So Gaara hadn't really spoken to Neji, even if he had picked him up and drove him back home. He needed to hold back the questions he wanted to ask so badly. Maybe because he didn't really want to know the answer or maybe because he would ruin everything about this friendship then. So he kept his mouth shut and only spoke when it was truly needed. He would get over it, but he needed some time. _

_And now in the dressing room it was very noisy. They had PE with all of Neji's and supposedly his friends, so it was busy with everyone talking and laughing. Except for Neji and Gaara who were both on another side of the dressing room, just trying to be a little further away from each other. He wasn't sure if the others had noticed the awkward vibe between them, but it wouldn't be strange if they had. _

_'Hey, Gaara!' Naruto shouted excitedly, walking up to him with a happy smile on his face. 'Ready for a swimming competition? I'm very curious on how good you are…' Yeah, they apparently had a pool in this building and this semester they spend swimming a lot. But this also meant that Naruto was already in his swim shorts, showing off the tanned stomach that looked rather good in Gaara's opinion._

_He of course wasn't ogling the blonde, but yes, he did take a peek. 'I'm actually not that fast, so you will probably beat me,' he admitted, never really caring for swimming or actually anything that had to do with PE. And all the while he had been staring at Naruto's stomach rather than at his face. _

A quick glance across the room was all that was needed for Neji to realise that he really was slow compared to the rest, as almost everyone already was wearing their swimming shorts while he still was standing in his jeans... So as quick as he could without looking completely ridiculous, he continued to change his clothes until he was similar dressed to everyone else in the room, his eyes landing on a certain redhead during the whole process.

As he was too busy with thinking about Gaara before, Neji only now noticed how much said person was trying to keep his distance from him. Was he doing this on purpose? Well, maybe it was good to keep a little distance from each other after everything, but Neji still couldn't help but think that this was a little over the top. They had spent almost their whole day apart, only really seeing each other on the drives to and from school, the lunch breaks and of course the two classes they had together. And even then they barely talked to each other...

Damn, just thinking about this really made Neji doubt if the redhead had been honest about still wanting to be friends with him as well... Of course it was understandable that Gaara acted like this towards him, but he wasn't trying to be his friend at all, despite the fact that he still picked him up to go to school... Well, maybe Neji wasn't really doing his best either, but how could he? Naruto always seemed to be standing at the redhead's side and Neji couldn't just order the blonde to stay away from Gaara or anything...

And of course it wasn't a surprise to see that also was the case now. It was like Naruto was the redhead's best friend or something like that. Every time Neji even glanced at him, the blonde always was found somewhere near him. And of course it also helped that Naruto always wanted to be friends with everyone, but as far as Neji knew, he couldn't recall a time when the blonde tried this much. Not that he usually paid that much attention to Naruto, but still...

The redhead didn't really seem to mind the blonde's company either. Well, maybe he had looked a little irritated at first, but as it was now, it seemed like he was enjoying it? Normally it was like he hated everyone, but apparently Naruto was an exception, just like Neji was... or had been.

A soft sigh escaped Neji's lips, the same feeling, which he still denied to be jealousy, suddenly being present again. Quickly he averted his eyes from the two boys on the other side of the room as soon as someone asked him yet again if he really was dating Gaara or not. The only answer that came from Neji was a simple shake of the head, which was returned by some mocking glares, but he chose to ignore them as he suddenly was too occupied with pretending to be searching for something in his bag. But in the meantime, he still couldn't stop his mind from wandering off to the redhead again.

Seeing his favourite blonde being near Gaara again, Sasuke casually walked up to the both of them. He ignored the redhead though, and fully turned to face Naruto instead, purposely standing a little closer to him than normal friends would, but not enough to draw suspicion. 'Are you done changing yet, Naruto?' He asked softly, although the answer to that question was quite obvious. The real reason he'd asked it was to draw Naruto's attention to himself rather than to the redhead.

_Immediately Naruto faced Sasuke with a big grin on his lips, glancing up at the slightly taller raven. The brush of the hand didn't go unnoticed by Gaara, although it seemed as an accident. But the redhead knew it wasn't and it was that little gesture that got to him. It seemed so… normal. The urge to get a smoke rose up again, but he ignored it, knowing it wasn't the time nor place to do so anyway. Smoothly he took his shirt off, showing off his own bare chest, his boxers already traded for his swim shorts. _

_'Yeah! We can go to the pool now!' Naruto exclaimed happily and then shifted his eyes towards Gaara for another moment, taking in the pale form. 'Hey, your skin colour is the same as Sasuke's!' Kind of a strange comment and it made Gaara fidget a little. The same colour of skin? Okay, well great? _

_And then Gaara thought of something else. Something he probably shouldn't say, but he did it anyway. 'And do you think our skin feels the same way as well?' he said loud enough for everyone to hear. Yes, he wanted Neji to hear it, immediately feeling stupid about it. But he just wanted Neji to know that he could be attracted to other people as well or maybe he wanted the brunette to be jealous. Also a good reason. He even managed a slight smirk on his lips, even if it felt strange. _

_A blush settled on Naruto's cheeks as he blinked his eyes at Gaara, smile disappeared from his face. Hesitatingly he reached forward, wanting to get a feel of the redhead's skin. And then he realised what he was about to do, who was also standing beside him, and what this would even mean. Quickly he pulled his hand back again and then in the end slapped the redhead on the shoulder awkwardly. 'Gaara, you are crazy!' he called out, trying to fake his cheery mood. 'Let's just get in the pool already.' And with that the blonde started walking away._

_'I do have to admit that your tanned skin asks to be touched.' Why did he say that? Why couldn't he just shut up? What the hell was going on? Did he really want to touch Naruto's skin even? Yes, it looked nice and Naruto wasn't an ugly guy, but god, he would shoot himself before ever dating the blonde. He was just so out there. And still here he was, saying things he really shouldn't. _

_Wide blue eyes turned towards him, looking a bit afraid even and without a word Naruto hurried away, pulling his raven friend along by his hand. 'Is Gaara flirting with me?' he hissed at Sasuke, quickly leaving the dressing room to just get away from the redhead. _

_Well, that hadn't worked out well and now he found the dressing room almost empty. But Neji was still there, dressed in his swim shorts. And that perfect pale skin really begged to be touched, to be marked, to find out if it could actually change colour and not be this perfect white coloured marble. Gaara walked up to him and glanced at the taller brunette, taking his time with looking up the almost bare form in front of him. _

_Trying to think of something else, Gaara absentmindedly wiped a finger across his lip, wanting to say something. 'Let's get into the pool. Then you can show off just how good you'll be at this and then I'll just relax at the side of the pool and do nothing,' he murmured, his eyes shifting towards the door. He tried, right? That was the point. _

A deep frown was marring Sasuke's features, obviously not liking this entire situation. He was about to tell Gaara to back off, but before he could do that, Naruto was already pulling him away from the scene. Maybe it was a good thing the blonde did that, because otherwise things probably wouldn't have ended up nice, but of course it certainly didn't prevent Sasuke from glaring at the redhead over his shoulder until he was out of sight.

'I think he was,' Sasuke grumbled in annoyance, 'But if he's smart, then he better not be even thinking about making such a comment ever again...' He let his voice trail off, his eyes showing a deadly intent. However, as soon as his gaze fell back on Naruto, his face immediately softened again.

The flirtatious comment Gaara had made certainly hadn't passed Neji either. Just how could he not have heard it? The way the redhead had raised his voice to such an unusual, loud volume was kind of hard to miss and then he wasn't even talking about the flirting yet...

Showing this kind of behaviour really was unlike the redhead and it made Neji wonder if he actually had heard it right. He wasn't used to Gaara acting like this at all, so it certainly had caught his attention. Pausing his movements, Neji couldn't help but look up, watching as the scene unfolded right before him with wide eyes, the shock evident in them, mixed with a hint of jealousy.

So this meant that Gaara liked Naruto in another way than in one where they just were friends... If Neji hadn't seen it with his own eyes, then he probably wouldn't have believed it since the redhead never showed any signs of being attracted to the blonde. But he figured that this proved yet again just how good Gaara was at hiding his feelings, because yesterday Neji hadn't seen the kiss coming either, nor had he noticed the fact that Gaara possibly had been interested in him... So if it was true about the redhead liking Naruto, then maybe it would make the stupid rumour about Gaara and himself disappear?

For some strange reason those thoughts didn't cheer Neji up at all like it should have. And wait, did this also mean that Gaara was over him already? This quick? He didn't know why, but that actually stung, to be pushed aside like that, as if he wasn't important enough anymore. And what did Naruto have that he didn't, anyway?

Neji mentally cursed. Shit, why was he even thinking like this. It really didn't make any sense. He actually should be glad that Gaara was over him, so they just could go back to being normal friends again! But why did he still feel so empty on the inside, then?

Neji was pulled out of his thoughts yet again as soon as he noticed the redhead walking up to him rather than following after Naruto and Sasuke. And of course he also didn't miss the way Gaara suddenly was looking at him. It confused him a little, because why was Gaara looking at him like this after flirting so shamelessly with the blonde? Neji really didn't understand it and shifted a little where he stood, but instead of covering himself up like he normally probably would do in a situation like this, he suddenly found himself staring right back at the redhead, his eyes following every curve of the pale torso. Damn, Gaara really did look good...

Suddenly the redhead spoke up, the sound of his voice making Neji realise what he was doing. Immediately his eyes snapped up to Gaara's face, a blush now forming on his cheeks. Shit, hopefully he hadn't noticed he'd been staring...

Neji was quiet for a moment, feeling a bit embarrassed, but also trying to cover up that he was a little hurt by the fact that Gaara liked the blonde. He quickly regained himself again though and even managed to smile a little at the redhead again.

'Oh, but I'm sure you're just as good as swimming,' Neji replied softly, not really knowing what else to say right now. To be honest, he didn't really know what the redhead meant by making such a comment, but he probably only was trying to be nice. 'Come on, then.' Waving Gaara over, he began to make his way out of the dressing room as well.

_Gaara stared after Neji for a moment, before following, wondering where the stare had come from. Had Neji been checking him out or was it more to measure what is type of body was. The brunette did seem like a competitive person, so maybe he did want to know if he could beat Gaara. Hell, everyone could beat Gaara. He might be strong, but the smoking didn't help for his long capacity, so holding his breath was like ten seconds or something. _

_Quietly he followed after Neji towards the pool, unsure if they would be hanging together there or if he indeed should just sit lazy by the side of the pool. The latter did seem more appealing, because he really didn't feel like swimming. Most of the guys were already in the pool anyway, sliding effortlessly through the water, laughing and cheering when someone won a match. Sasuke and Naruto seemed very competitive over each other, but still didn't seem to mind when one of them lost. It suddenly felt very wrong for flirting with the blonde. He knew the two were together. To him it wasn't hard to miss. Maybe he should apologise later on, although he would probably have to tell them as well what was going on. That didn't sound too horrible either though… Maybe they could help him get out of this mess._

_Turning towards Neji, Gaara lightly tapped the brunette's shoulder. It felt a little weird to actually touch Neji, thinking it might make him feel dirty or something. This really was a horrible situation they were in. 'I'll be right back,' he said, turning his eyes towards the blonde again, now having moved out of the pool and shaking out his unruly blond locks. 'I have to talk to Naruto for a moment.' And with that he left, walking towards the blonde. _

_A bit surprised and awkward Naruto looked up at Gaara, glancing around to find a way to escape this situation already. 'H-hey, Gaara. Can I do something for you?' he asked, his voice breaking in the middle._

_For a moment Gaara just stared at Naruto, seeing how things had turned weird here as well. Great, he was screwing up every friendship he possibly had. 'I wanted to apologise. I am aware that you and Sasuke are together and only because I wanted to make someone jealous. I, uh, I have feelings for, uh.' Why was it so hard to say it out loud? 'For Neji and he rejected me, so… I kind of used you and I apologise.'_

_Completely shocked Naruto only stared at the redhead, trying to think of where he and Sasuke had gone wrong, but no one else had ever noticed! He definitely needed to talk to Sasuke about this and fast. 'O-okay,' he replied, before the last part settling in. 'He rejected you?' he asked unbelievable. 'I'm sorry, man. That must've been hard. But I get it… Although I don't think making him jealous will work. But if you need someone to talk to, I'll be here.' And then Naruto lightly laid his hand on Gaara's shoulder, making the redhead relax and actually very happy he had shared his problems. Maybe the wrong place to do so, but still, with the support he might actually get over Neji a lot faster and get some tips to do so as well…_

Talk to Naruto? About what? Hadn't Gaara talked to him minutes ago? Or had he decided that right now was a good time to flirt with the blonde again? Those were the questions that were running through Neji's mind at the moment, and he didn't even get the chance to reply before the redhead already had moved away from him.

Not making any move to get into the pool where everyone else was, Neji just kept standing there, studying the two guys as they interacted. From this distance, he couldn't really make out what they were saying, but he did take a note in how awkward Naruto seemed to feel at first, and how quickly that disappeared after Gaara started talking.

What could Gaara possibly have said to the blonde? Maybe he had explained that he had feelings for him... So did this mean that Naruto returned them? And were they officially together now? Neji didn't really know the answers to those questions, but what he did know was that there definitely was something going on between those two...

* * *

Let us know what you think! :)


	12. Chapter 12

Usually I play Sasuke and Dana plays Naruto, but since Sasuke's role is slightly bigger in this chapter, Dana played him now as well xD

Characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

_Dana_

Alicia

* * *

_Gaara had talked to Naruto about what had happened, telling the truth to someone else outside of well, Neji. Like he would tell his siblings about this. Temari would just love to baby him and protect him and then actually proceed to talk to the brunette and ask why the hell he wouldn't like her precious little brother. No thank you. That would do a lot of damage to his ego and also his reputation, which wasn't great to begin with. Of course people had heard about his outburst against Matsuri, making the rumour of him dating Neji with some people subdue while with another group they actually started believing it more. Quite annoying, but nothing he could do about it. _

_After Naruto knew the complete truth he had gone out and got Sasuke to join the conversation as well. The raven at first was quite angry at the fact that Gaara had known about them, but in the end did like the idea of Gaara not really being interested in his lover. No one else could touch his Naruto, even if he could not tell everyone about their relationship, he would still cut off all the competition he might get. It wasn't his fault that his family would shun him as soon as they heard about his love for boys. _

_But after all that was over and Naruto had convinced Sasuke, Gaara would get all the support he needed. They needed to stick together and support one another in their love. Even if for the redhead it was unanswered. He needed all the support he could get. So Naruto had planned out several things to make the redhead feel better. Of course Neji had wanted to stay friends and Gaara didn't want to lose the brunette either, but it just hurt a lot to even look into those pale eyes that seemed to be sucking him in. _

_Now Naruto's plan was to create enough space between them to get the intimacy out and not leave them alone in a room anymore. With his cheerful mood that should already help a lot. So now during English it was Naruto sitting next to Gaara, with Sasuke's consent of course, and chatting happily with him about nothing. Gaara was actually very grateful for this. How could he really thank the blonde for this? Well, of course by not telling anyone about their secret, but he wasn't going to anyway, even if Sasuke feared that and therefore was going along with these plans. _

_He really couldn't afford a rumour to start like the one with Neji and Gaara, which seemed kind of true now… When they were off to college he would just room together with the blonde and no one would know. So first get through this last year of high school and then they could really be happy together. _

_Now Sasuke was sitting next to Neji, absentmindedly scribbling notes onto a piece of paper, trying his best to ignore the enthusiastic laughs coming from in front of him from a certain blonde. He was trying so hard that it looked fake. Stupid Naruto… At least the redhead stayed collected and was just smiling lightly at some dumb joke the blonde had made. Sometimes Sasuke really wondered why he was dating such an idiot, but then he remembered how sweet the blonde really was… Damn those feelings._

Occasionally Neji glanced at the two boys sitting in front of him, eyeing them closely. He wasn't really listening to what they were saying though. Or rather, to what Naruto was saying. The sound of the blonde's voice was constantly heard, but Neji didn't even bother to listen to it. It wasn't like it was unusual for the blonde to talk this much and it probably was about meaningless stuff again anyway.

Instead Neji was busy pondering about something else; the fact that Gaara was sitting next to Naruto at the moment and not next to him, like he should have. The redhead always sat next to him during English, so why not now? Was it more fun to sit next to Naruto? Or did the redhead suddenly have second thoughts about everything and suddenly had decided that they weren't friends anymore or something?

After PE yesterday, Neji already had kind of assumed that everything was back to normal again. Of course it still was a little awkward whenever he talked to Gaara, but hey, at least they were talking again... But apparently it had been stupid to think that, because what else could have caused the redhead not wanting to sit next to him anymore?

Maybe Neji already knew the answer to that question and he wasn't entirely sure if he should be happy about that. For some unknown reason, he had tried to deny this the whole time. But now he just had to face the truth, because it really was kind of obvious...

Gaara just rather wanted to sit next to his new boyfriend from now on. Neji knew he should be happy for the redhead, that he had found someone who made him happy and that he finally was over him and stuff. But he wasn't and that was very frustrating. He didn't know why he felt like this about their relationship and it kind of made him feel like a bad person or something...

But denying Gaara and Naruto being together really was pointless, because there was no doubt now anymore that there was something going on between those two. And if all the events from yesterday weren't enough proof for that, then this certainly was...

Neji softly bit his bottom lip. It still was kind of unfair though. He knew Gaara shared a lot of classes with Naruto, so they had many opportunities to sit next to each other. Neji didn't. In fact the class they currently had was the only chance Neji really had to sit next to the redhead and yet the younger boy had decided that he rather sat next to the blonde... Damn.

Casually Neji glanced to the side, his eyes falling on Sasuke's form now. What were his thoughts about this, that he suddenly was forced to sit next to him? Did he hate it? Or didn't he care about this at all? Or maybe the raven even had agreed on that they should swap seats? Like always, Sasuke's facial expressions were hard to read, so Neji couldn't really tell.

Before Neji even knew what he was doing, he already found himself asking; 'Why isn't Naruto sitting next to you now, like he always does?' His voice was soft as he spoke, almost as if he hoped that this way, the raven would be the only one who was able to hear the question.

_Dark eyes moved to the side to stare at Neji for a moment, his hand stopping with writing down random notes that would make studying easier for him. And which Naruto would want to copy at the end of this class since he obviously wasn't paying attention. He always got overly excited when he was sitting next to someone else in another class and of course Naruto felt the need to help Gaara out. It was annoying how much the blonde cared sometimes, but there was nothing Sasuke could do about it._

_Turning back to his work he lazily answered. 'Naruto's feeling bad about Gaara being rejected and therefore sees it as his mission to cheer him up. Don't know how he's planning on doing so, but he will figure something out. Knowing Naruto he would do just about anything.' He wasn't entirely lying. He just left the part out that Naruto prevented Neji from sitting next to the redhead and giving him some space. Of course he wouldn't have heard the part where it seemed Naruto could want to date Gaara instead. He trusted Naruto and didn't see him falling for Gaara any time soon. _

_Suddenly something else occurred to Sasuke and he looked at Neji again, pondering over it for a moment before deciding he would just ask. 'Why aren't you trying to cheer him up? I thought you were best friends or something.' It was casually asked, but of course Sasuke had asked to hit a nerve. If this was solved soon, then he would have his Naruto back and that was all that mattered at this point. Of course it still annoyed him that he had to share, even if it was just Naruto's time. _

_Gaara had just been listening to Naruto's meaningless talk, it actually helping him to get his mind off the brunette who was sitting right behind him. He didn't want to admit it, but it did still hurt. Maybe it was sad that he was sitting next to Naruto right now, but it wasn't like he had a say in this. Naruto had practically forced him in the chair, saying it would help. It did. Naruto was a good friend. _

The only thing Neji really did was nod his head at Sasuke's answer, appearing to be as calm as ever. But on the inside, he couldn't help but panic a little. Did Sasuke just mention something about Gaara being rejected? So did this mean that he knew everything about the redhead kissing him and what had happened afterwards?

It definitely came as a shock, because Neji somehow just had assumed that the redhead would want to protect his pride and not tell anyone about the rejection. But apparently he had been very wrong about that... Strange that Naruto hadn't said anything about it though, or hadn't even scolded him for it. Knowing how the blonde could be, Neji had expected him to be very protective of the redhead, especially now they were in a relationship...

But wait, why did Sasuke mention that the reason why Naruto was sitting next to the redhead was to cheer him up, then? Why didn't Sasuke say that they wanted to sit next to each other now because they were boyfriends? So did this mean they weren't together? Neji couldn't really explain why, but for some reason he felt a sparkle of hope when he thought about that. But as quick as it came, he shook those feelings off again.

Of course Naruto and Gaara were together! Just because Sasuke hadn't mentioned it, didn't mean that it wasn't true. And maybe the raven just was forced to keep his mouth shut about it, because they didn't want anyone to know about it. But why could Sasuke know about it then and Neji didn't? Apparently they didn't trust him enough or something like that. He hated to admit it, but it was kind of logical, after the rejection and everything... But if this all was true then they really were doing a very poor job at hiding it.

Suddenly Sasuke spoke up again, kindly returning the favour by asking a question of his own. The question was unexpected, and it definitely stung a little. But it also ended up confusing Neji even more, because if the raven knew about him rejecting Gaara, then why would he ask such a thing? Wouldn't he know that if he tried to cheer the redhead up, it only would have the opposite effect and make Gaara feel even worse? Was Sasuke just a bastard for asking this or did he really not know?

Neji was left speechless, not really knowing what was the best thing to say now. Of course he just could tell Sasuke the truth, but if the raven really didn't know about the whole situation, then he certainly wasn't planning on telling him either. Then he only would end up making the raven hate him or something like that…

So instead of answering it, Neji decided to ask something else in the hope that it would make Sasuke forget about his own question. 'So it doesn't bother you then that your best friend now rather sits next to his new boyfriend?' He murmured, kind of voicing his own opinion about this, because it definitely did bother him. It didn't even occur to him that this could sound like he was jealous...

Of course Neji purposely mentioned to Gaara as the blonde's boyfriend, hoping that this would lead to Sasuke giving him more information, in case he did know more about their relationship. And being Naruto's best friend for all those years, Sasuke probably should know more...

_A neat black eyebrow rose as he heard Neji's question, his eyes moving back to the two teens sitting in front of them. Such a strange question that was. His new boyfriend? How did that even occur to the brunette? With a bored expression he turned back to Neji, leaning his head on a hand lazily. 'I'm not bothered with Naruto sitting next to his new friend if that is what you mean. I always respect Naruto's wishes when it comes to cheering others up, knowing he is good at it.' His eyes moved over Neji's body, as if trying to figure something out. 'If he were to be dating Gaara, I would've known. Naruto and I have no secrets for the other and as far as I know he is not dating your so called best friend.'_

_Maybe the last bit of his words had come out a bit harsh, but Sasuke didn't care. Stating that Naruto dated someone else but him stung, even if he was fully aware that it wasn't the case. And what made Neji even say such a thing if he didn't want to date Gaara himself. Why was he so troubled by the fact that Naruto was sitting next to Gaara rather than himself?_

_And then it also occurred to him Neji had avoided answering his question, but that was now Neji's problem. Since the brunette had chosen to ask such a demeaning question, he would ask one of his own. 'And why would you care who Gaara is sitting next? It seems your friendship has been going down ever since you started attending school, so wouldn't this make it easier? Now he spends some time with someone else and you can create enough space between the both of you until you can both say you are just acquaintances. A memory of a friendship that once was. Should be easier for both of you and then there is no trouble of fighting and trying to cling to the other. Sometimes people need space to get rid of certain feelings.'_

_Of course the last bit was a hint. He wouldn't let on that he in fact knew that it was Neji who rejected Gaara, but it would give the brunette enough to think about. Sasuke found it selfish of people who desperately clung to people, afraid of letting go when it was only hurting the other. And it seems Neji was that type of a person. _

So Sasuke was okay with Naruto sitting next to Gaara? For some reason Neji hadn't quite expected that or maybe he'd just rather wanted to hear the opposite of it. But if Sasuke could respect Naruto's decision so easily, then why couldn't he do the same thing with Gaara's? Was he really such a bad friend?

If he had to believe Sasuke, then Naruto and Gaara also weren't dating apparently. He didn't know why, but he felt a little relieved because of it, but it also confused him. Gaara had grown noticeably closer to the blonde over the days and had even flirted with him! All the signs were so clear, but they were false? All of them? But how?

Of course then Sasuke just had to speak up again and this time his words were even more shocking. They made Neji feel a lot worse than before. For a moment he couldn't help but wonder whether Sasuke did this on purpose or that he just was saying this without thinking. Whatever it was, Neji had to admit that he did have a point. Sort of...

But at the same time it also wasn't exactly fair. The raven really made it sound like he was an awful person. He wasn't really clinging to the redhead, right? And how did Sasuke even know that their friendship was going downhill ever since they started attending school again, anyway? Was he really that observant or was it just a wild guess? Or maybe Gaara really had told them about it, though Neji still couldn't understand why he would do that.

'I... I just...' Neji wanted to protest, to protect his pride and tell Sasuke that he couldn't just say these things to him. But instead he was at loss of words and found himself staring at Sasuke with wide eyes.

However, not a moment later that turned into an expression which clearly said that he didn't like the comment one bit. He really couldn't stand the fact that it practically had sounded like Sasuke was suggesting that it would be better to stay away from the redhead, because that should be better for the both of them... What did he know about it? The last thing Neji wanted was his friendship with Gaara to end! And Gaara thought the same about that, right? Of course he did! Just because he liked to spend more time with Naruto now, didn't mean that he didn't want to be Neji's friend anymore, because otherwise he surely would've said so.

Still it did make Neji wonder why he was trying to be Gaara's friend so desperately. He'd never bothered to do that with anyone before, so why now? What was so special about the redhead that made him try this much? Was it the connection he felt between them that made him want to have Gaara around? Maybe it was, but that still didn't explain why he felt so... jealous whenever he saw Naruto interact with the redhead. Normal friends wouldn't have any problems with that, right? So maybe he did feel more for the redhead...

But how on earth was that possible? He was Neji Hyuuga, he wasn't gay. Right? He had been telling himself that the whole time and he had been so convinced of it... But why was the urge to get as close to Gaara as possible so big then? He didn't understand it and he couldn't think of a logical explanation for it other than that he really was attracted to Gaara... shit.

As realisation dawned upon him, he suddenly felt sick in his stomach. He was gay... He really was gay! It was so obvious now he thought about it and it was kind of pointless to keep denying it. But why? Why him? That question kept repeating itself in his head and a lot of unwanted emotions went through him. Frustration, confusion, desperation, and even a little bit of fear. But what he felt the most was anger.

He was angry with Sasuke for confronting him with it. Angry with Gaara, because he was the reason Neji was feeling like this. But mostly he was angry with himself. For being attracted to the same gender, but also because he'd screwed up everything. It all was his fault, after all. He was the cause of all the problems they currently had! Maybe if he'd realised, or accepted this earlier, then maybe everything wouldn't be as messed up as it was now. Maybe Gaara wouldn't have distanced himself from him so drastically. Everything would be fine then!

Realising that he still hadn't said anything, Neji murmured absentmindedly: '...Maybe you're right,' It was said rather quickly and it sounded very reluctant, but Neji wasn't bothered by that. He wasn't even paying attention to Sasuke anymore, nor to the two boys sitting in front of them. Neji simply was too focused on his own feelings now, because he absolutely had no idea how to deal with them and he really hated it. What was he supposed to do now?

_Dark eyes stayed focused on Neji, seeing the many emotions displayed in the pale eyes. Sasuke knew exactly how that felt, remembering the moment he realised he had feelings for a certain blonde boy. It was strange, but also very exhilarating, so hopefully Neji would feel the same way. _

_Sasuke waited until the brunette came down from his high, seeing the realisation dawn upon him and then Neji gave an expected answer, still seeming very dazed. It annoyed him a little, because how was he supposed to deal with this? He wasn't good with feelings and all that. Naruto was the one who let everyone know how he felt, but of course he couldn't handle this right now as he was comforting the redhead. And now he was left to deal with this. _

_Damn it, what now? Honesty…? God, he really didn't want to tell this, but he had to. The bell then rang and he slowly started packing his stuff. Sporadically glancing up at Neji he still doubted what to say, but the brunette was out of this world still. So he had to say something and it had to be done now before the moment was gone. With one final sigh he spoke up. _

_'I know Naruto and Gaara aren't dating, because I am currently in a relationship with that knucklehead. So if you think now, at this moment, that you want Gaara, your chance is still there. But you need to be fast, because that knucklehead is very good at fixing people up and you don't want to lose your first love.' And with that the raven haired walked off, not wanting to hear Neji's answer and just not wanting to be bothered by this situation anymore. They can fend for themselves and he would be happy if they were happy, but if it ended up sad… Well, he wouldn't care. _


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for the delay... again :P I'm not really one of the fastest writers, and lately that only seems to get worse... X_x

Characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto

_Dana_

Alicia

* * *

Ever since the conversation he had with Sasuke during English class, Neji hadn't been able to think about anything else. Only when the raven had told him that Naruto was in a relationship with him, and not with Gaara, Neji finally had come to believe it. It still was a bit shocking though to hear that they were together. He'd never expected that. To him it always had seemed like they were best friends and nothing more... They really had done a good job at keeping it a secret.

But of course that wasn't what was bothering Neji the most at the moment. Apart from the fact that he still felt bad about his discovery on his true sexuality, he also had no idea what he was supposed to do with it. Gaara still was available, so he still had a chance with him, but would it be a smart idea to go along with Sasuke's advice? Wouldn't it be very weird if he suddenly told everything to the redhead now? Not to mention that it probably would be kind of pointless too. Gaara probably didn't even want him anymore, after the rejection and everything... Maybe he even would hate him, if he actually knew the truth. Just what wouldn't he think if he heard it?

And of course he also couldn't forget the fact that Gaara had flirted with Naruto. Maybe the redhead liked him? Just because Naruto was together with Sasuke didn't mean that he couldn't have a crush on him. Or maybe he just didn't know about their relationship... Neji had no idea what it was, but Gaara wouldn't just flirt with the blonde for fun, right? He didn't seem like the type of guy who would do that... But then again, a lot of things happened over the days what he hadn't expected from Gaara, so you never know.

So maybe it was just better not to say anything about it. Naruto would help Gaara with getting over him and he would have to manage to do that on his own. Staying friends would be better than ending up with Gaara hating him, which would happen in the worst case.

But if they just stayed friends, then Gaara was bound to find out about him being gay eventually... What would happen then? He'd probably feel even more rejected, because last time Neji clearly had told him that he wasn't gay. Maybe Gaara even would think that it had been a lame excuse and that he'd used it just to get out of the situation... That would only make things even worse, because then Gaara still would hate him!

Well, if that actually happened, then of course Neji also just could tell him the truth about that he had been so convinced of being straight until he'd talked to Sasuke. But would that be believable? Neji doubted it. And finding out after a long time that your friend has been hiding their true sexuality was kind of a betrayal too, right?

A deep sigh escaped Neji's lips. Having all these thoughts running through his head weren't really helping him with making the decision of what was the best thing to do, nor was the fact that the subject of them was walking right next to him at the moment.

School was over now, and they currently were making their way over to the redhead's car. But Neji hadn't looked up at Gaara once, nor had he made an attempt to talk to him like he usually would do. It was almost as if he was afraid that he would do or say something stupid. He just felt incredibly tense and he couldn't describe how glad he was when they finally had reached the car. Now he only had to survive a ride home and then he could go sulk about everything in his room for the rest of the day.

_Right next to Neji walked a calm Gaara, feeling much better after having Naruto distract him all day. Somehow it did seem to help and he actually didn't mind spending some time with Neji alone at this point. Maybe this being friends thing could work out if Naruto just kept distracting him from time to time. Although he had not liked the comment about being fixed up. It wasn't like he was over the brunette already. Look at him, the guy is gorgeous with the long brown locks and the pale eyes seeming to stare through everything. If they weren't casted down and sheltered by his hair. _

_Neji really was acting strange. He hadn't said a thing ever since they left the school and the way he carried himself seemed almost embarrassed or shy. And as far as Gaara knew, the brunette was neither around him. At least not for a while now. So what could be going on? What would make the brunette change towards him from one day to the other? Of course Gaara had distanced himself from Neji a little and maybe he had spent a lot of time with Naruto today, but Neji seemed fine when he was sitting next to Sasuke. They had even talked a little and of course Sasuke didn't seem overly happy, but the raven never really did. Only Naruto made him smile from time to time. _

_Getting to the car Gaara fished his cigarettes out of his back pockets and got one out, setting it to his lips and inhaling deeply as he lit it. He didn't get in yet, just staring at Neji for a moment and trying to figure things out. The brunette was just so closed off… It really was hard finding out anything. He hadn't unlocked the doors yet, so Neji couldn't get in either. _

_And then Gaara took a few steps towards Neji and flicked him against his forehead. 'Stop thinking so much and tell me what is wrong. If you keep frowning like that you surely will get wrinkles.' And with that he walked over to his side of the car and unlocked it, sliding into his seat. It maybe not had been the best way to get the brunette's attention, but at least he couldn't get out of it anymore. It wasn't like Gaara could let something go so easily. He would just keep on asking and well, Neji was very much aware of how blunt the redhead could be. _

_Still waiting on Neji to get in, Gaara kept staring, his green eyes focused on the lithe body outside his car. He was curious on what it could be that was bothering Neji. Maybe still Gaara's crush? But they hadn't spoken about it for a while now, so that couldn't be the case, right? It would be strange and then of course make everything awkward again. It was supposed to be Gaara who had to let it go, not Neji. He wasn't interested, so why would he have such trouble with it? It wasn't like he had been flirting with Neji or make it obvious he was still interested. He had actually given the brunette his space. _

Completely shocked by the sudden demand for an answer, Neji was only able to stare at the redhead as he took a seat in his car. But he didn't follow Gaara's example just yet, but just kept standing there instead, panicking a little.

Was it really that obvious that there was something bothering him? He hadn't acted any different than he usually did, had he? Well, of course he had been a lot quieter, both because he didn't really feel like talking and that he simply didn't know what to say. But he never really had been a person who talked a lot, so that shouldn't be too noticeable, right? So maybe it indeed had been the expression he wore on his face that had given him away, like Gaara had mentioned before...

Whatever it was, it didn't really matter now. The main concern was that he now had to make the decision on whether to tell the redhead or not. Maybe it was better just to be honest with Gaara and spill everything, because the redhead now had given him the perfect opportunity to do that by asking him what was wrong.

But the thought only of having to tell Gaara everything right now made the feeling of anxiety well up. Neji knew that the chances to get rejected and ruin everything they'd build were high. Suddenly he felt nauseous as well, because that was definitely something he didn't want to happen.

So then the decision was made. Neji wasn't going to tell Gaara. Not yet at least. First he was going to make up his mind and try to accept the fact that he was gay and that he was attracted to the person he'd rejected a couple of days ago. Maybe if he had done that, then it would be a lot easier to tell Gaara the truth.

With a lot of reluctance, Neji finally got into the car as well. 'What makes you think that there is something wrong with me?' he then asked, not looking at the redhead once. 'I can assure you that I'm completely fine.' A small, fake smile formed on Neji's lips as soon as the words were out, hoping that would help making his lie a little more believable and that Gaara just would drop the subject and drive them home already.

_It had taken Neji a long time before he got in the car, making Gaara think even more something was wrong, so when Neji pretended nothing was wrong, Gaara definitely didn't buy it. An amused chuckle left his lips as he started the car, cigarette dangling between his lips as he shook his head. But he would take the brunette home nonetheless, not feeling like sticking around here any longer and have another one of those moments where Gaara felt rejected. Better have it on the road now and only have half his brain focused on Neji. _

_Lazily he had one hand on the wheel, the other halfway out the window to let out the ashes of his stick. He blew the smoke to the side as well, but it was futile. Most of it stayed in the car anyway and Gaara saw it as a punishment for Neji for not telling him what was going on. _

_About a minute underway Gaara glanced at Neji for a moment, finally ready to respond to Neji's question. 'You either have something on your mind or you're trying very hard not to fart in front of me. Whichever it is, just let it out. I'm sure I can take it.' Blinker went on and they took a turn to the left, the drive home going smoothly so far. Gaara just didn't feel like dealing with drama and just wanted everything out in the open. But he also was very aware of the fact that his friend kept everything inside. Not much of a talker. Gaara wasn't either, but when something bothered him… Usually his sister would know. 'And don't lie to me, Neji. I don't like it when you lie to me.' His voice had hardened a bit and he gave the brunette a warning look. He better star spilling soon, because the redhead was really not in the mood. He had felt perfectly fine all day and Neji was killing that buzz a little. _

When Gaara didn't reply immediately, Neji felt a bit relieved, thinking that his attempt to convince him had actually worked. Which he was glad for, because with all the troubles he currently had on his mind, he couldn't come up with a good reason to explain why he was "fine". And of course the smoke did bother him, but Neji chose not to say anything, nor pull a face because of it, fearing that Gaara might pick up the conversation again if he did that.

Unfortunately for Neji that still happened, even without him complaining about the disgusting cigarette. And at the same moment, the fake smile dropped off his face, realising that it wouldn't work anyway.

Neji raised an eyebrow at the fart comment, thinking it was a bit unusual to hear such a thing coming from Gaara. In any other situation, he probably would've been amused by it, but that certainly wasn't the case now, because it meant that Gaara really wasn't planning on dropping the subject until he knew what was wrong with him, unlike Neji had hoped. The tone the redhead used in his voice when he told him not to lie only confirmed this.

But Neji could be a very stubborn person when he wanted to and he still was determined not to tell Gaara his secret yet. 'I don't know what you're talking about, because I wasn't lying when I said that I'm fine!' With that said, Neji directed his gaze at the window, still avoiding to look at the younger boy.

Somehow Neji couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for having to lie to Gaara. The redhead already had distanced himself from him and this conversation probably only was going to make that worse. But at the moment Neji saw no other option. He already was so confused and had no idea how to deal with all those feelings, so he didn't want to tell Gaara just yet. And it wasn't like Gaara was making this any easier for him right now...

_Gaara's knuckles turned white as his grip on the steering wheel tightened. His lips turned into a thin line, really not pleased with the answer he was given. He felt disrespected and if this was Neji's way of showing that they were still friends, than he could go suck it. At least they were almost home and then he could just get out of the car and not deal with this. _

_But that wasn't the person he was. He needed to tell Neji exactly what he thought about this all and especially about the lying part. How could Neji even have lied to him after Gaara specifically told him not to? How dumb was this all really? Taking one last long drag of the cigarette he then threw it out the window, uncaring of what happened to it. And then with a bit of extra gas he drove them home swiftly, just wanting to get the car to stop and confront Neji before the brunette would disappear inside his house again._

_He parked the car right in front of their house and then immediately turned to face Neji, a very angry expression on his face. 'Do you remember asking me if we could stay friends after I kissed you the other day?' he asked, not waiting on an answer from Neji, because of course he remembered. 'It has been very hard for me to actually keep that up and stay friends with you, because you are very aware that in this case I would like more. But if you want me to stay friends with you, then you better stop lying right now. Because I don't tolerate people that lie to me. I don't tolerate fake smiles and empty gestures. So spill what is bothering you or get out of my car and don't expect me to be waiting here for you tomorrow morning.'_

_It hadn't been just a threat. This was really how Gaara felt about it. His father had lied to him enough and after the man was gone, he wanted everyone to speak the truth. If something was going on with his brother and sister, they said something and he expected the very same thing from his friend or Neji would no longer be one._

_Keeping the firm stare Gaara waited on an answer, not letting Neji out without giving any sort of answer. It was all up to the brunette now. Whatever he wanted more, that would be the outcome of their friendship. _

Since he still had it on his mind to get home as fast as possible, Neji was a bit startled when Gaara suddenly confronted him before he even could make it out of the car. So he stayed seated, not even making an attempt to get out of the vehicle as he listened to the redhead's rant, lowering his head until his face was framed by his hair. His eyes now were looking down at his lap in shame, trying to hide the fact that the threat had hurt him, but also because he didn't dare to look up at the younger boy. It was no surprise that Gaara wouldn't stop asking until he knew what was wrong, but Neji never had expected him to get so angry about it. Was he really that bad of a liar?

And of course it would be hard for the redhead to stay friends with him after everything that had happened, Neji hadn't expected any less, but he never thought that it had been this difficult for him. But maybe that was because of Naruto, since Neji had been so convinced that there was they were together. And with Gaara avoiding him and spending more time with the blonde, he just automatically had assumed that he was over him already.

Thanks to Sasuke, Neji now knew that it was stupid to think that there was something going on between those two, but he still had no idea whether Gaara had a crush on the blonde or not. Neji kind of started to doubt that now as well, because why else would Gaara say that he would like more with him if he was in love with Naruto? At least, if he wanted him still.

So now Neji had an important decision to make. All the determination he had before suddenly was gone, and now he actually went back to considering all the options he had again. Either he would have to spill everything now and possibly embarrass himself completely in front of Gaara, or he could keep his mouth shut and lose him without a second doubt. He already could imagine what would happen then. Every morning he would have to walk to school on his own again. And his friends... After hearing the whole story, they probably would pick Gaara's side. No doubt Naruto would, and the rest probably would go along with the blonde's decision. So if he lost Gaara, what he already didn't want in first place, then he technically would lose everything.

But there also was a third option. Neji just could say that he would tell him later, because he wasn't ready for it yet. But something told him that only would lead him to having the same results as when he didn't tell Gaara yet, since it practically was the same thing. Real friends would tell each other their troubles, after all...

Of course there was no guarantee that he wouldn't lose Gaara if he chose the first option, but right now, that seemed the best thing to do. And thus, the decision was made surprisingly fast. He was going to tell Gaara.

With his fists clenched tightly in his lap, Neji slowly looked up at the younger boy for the first time since he'd gotten into the car. The corners of his mouth slightly twitched downwards as soon as his eyes met the redhead's handsome features, which now clearly were showing just how mad he was. Neji's eyes widened a little. He hadn't seen the other boy angry since he tried to punch Matsuri... It didn't seem as bad this time though, but Neji still hadn't meant this to happen. Shit.

'I'm sorry,' Neji began, apologising both for lying and for what he was about to tell him. Hopefully Gaara wouldn't think that he had been playing a silly game the whole time. 'It's just that I... I'm so confused... I don't know what to do...' His voice was soft and hesitant as he spoke, even a bit desperate, and he clearly had no idea that it all may have sounded a bit incoherent. 'I found out something and... I-' He stopped talking. Damn, this was really hard to say, even more so than he had expected.

Still seeking for the right words, Neji's eyes suddenly landed on the redhead's thin lips. Those were the same lips that had been pressed against his own... A bit distraced now, Neji tried to recall what they had felt like rather than trying to come up with the right words, but unfortunately all the memories were a bit vague. Not that strange, if you considered how much had happened of the past couple of days.

And then it happened, without a warning. Seeming to have lost control over his own body, Neji suddenly found himself leaning over the divider in the middle, closing the distance between Gaara and himself until their lips made contact.

Instantly, Neji felt very nervous, even more so than before, but yet he couldn't seem to bring himself to pull away and just kept their lips lightly pressed together. He didn't move his lips though, afraid that the other might not be okay with that. If he already didn't mind the kiss to begin with. Maybe this hadn't been the best way to let Gaara know about his feelings, but at least this made it quite obvious what he had been talking about.

Aside from the fact that he was very nervous, Neji now also could feel something flutter in his stomach. Was this the same thing Gaara had felt when he'd kissed him for the first time? Neji didn't know, but it definitely did feel nice.

_Brow still furrowed Gaara listened to Neji, waiting patiently for him to finish. But nothing really significant was coming out and he wasn't sure what the hell was going on here. As far as he knew he was pretty easy to tell stuff, at least for Neji it should be. Gaara would listen to everything and may not come with the best solutions, he did always listen. _

_And then it stayed silent and Gaara really didn't know what was happening. Right until he felt lips pressed against his. First his eyes widened, but his mind caught up in time, making them close as he pushed back rather rough. He had been waiting on this for too long now, even if it had been only a week or something, but it finally happened. Neji did like him and that was all that mattered. Gaara did start moving his lips and he would enjoy this kiss for as long as possible._

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Yay :D Finally a fluffy ending? xD


	14. Chapter 14

Wooh, finally an update!  
The delay is completely my fault again and I apologise :P

Thank you all for the reviews and for those who were wondering; no, it's not the ending yet :)

_Dana_

Alicia

* * *

Making Gaara angry the other day had turned out to become one of the best things Neji had ever done. If that hadn't happened, he wouldn't have ended up kissing him and then he still would be worrying about what to do, but now he proudly could call himself Gaara's boyfriend. It still was a bit hard to imagine himself being gay though after all those years of thinking otherwise, but now he had Gaara, Neji found it a lot easier to accept for some reason. And now it even was time for their first date, which Neji was very excited for.

He'd been standing in front of the mirror for a good hour, trying to pick the perfect outfit for their date. That had been a lot tougher than he had expected at first, because Gaara surely already had seen half of his wardrobe. When he finally managed to find something nice to wear, the task of brushing his hair until there was no strand out of place began. Overall it had taken him longer than necessary, but it all had been worth it. He just wanted to look nice for Gaara.

After that, there still was one thing left to do: trying to grant his uncle's permission to leave the house. Of course he still had all the punishments Hiashi had given him because of the rumour, so the only thing he really could leave the house for was school. And he knew his uncle found education very important, because that would lead to having a good job and having a good job was important for the Hyuuga's name.

So Neji had used this knowledge to his advantage, telling his uncle that there was a project for school he needed to finish at a friend's house. Hiashi had looked thoughtful at first, but after Neji had insisted for about the fifth time on how important it was for his grades and promised that there really wasn't something going on between him and his "friend", the older man finally had bought it. Neji practically fled the house after that, just in case his uncle might have second thoughts about it.

As soon as his eyes landed on the sight of the redhead, already waiting for him, Neji couldn't help but smile a little. Having a boyfriend suddenly seemed so real now... Glancing briefly over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being watched from the window or something, which fortunately wasn't the case, Neji quickly made his way over to the familiar red car, not wanting to make Gaara wait any longer. 'Hey,' he greeted the younger boy.

_Leaning against his car, Gaara took a relaxing drag from his cigarette, trying his hardest to calm his nerves. He was looking very forward to their date, wanting to feel the change in their relationship. But it were his brother and sister that had brought the doubt. Was this really a smart move? The right time? Shouldn't he settle down first and feel comfortable with where he lived? Gaara didn't want to think of those things. He wanted to enjoy this moment with Neji and actually go on his very first date without those things circling around in his head. It was not how a date was supposed to start._

_But the cigarette helped and he was calming down, his mind empty. His clothes were carefully picked by his sister. How much Temari was against the date, she still wanted him to look good. So he had some bad guy outfit going on. Tight black skinny jeans and a green t-shirt with some sort of band print on it and then to finish it all off, a leather jacket. He didn't even know he owned one. But Temari was ecstatic and Gaara hoped Neji would like the outfit as well._

_And then Neji rounded the corner. Green eyes glanced his way and a smile started tugging at the corners of his lips. Casually throwing the cigarette away he pushed himself off the car and took in the sight of the brunette. He looked good, really good and well Gaara really had fallen in love with those long luscious brown locks of his. _

_'Hey,' he replied softly, granting Neji with an actual smile and waiting for the brunette to get closer to him. _

Suddenly Neji felt a bit awkward, not really knowing what to do. Was he also supposed to hug Gaara now, as a form of a greeting? Or maybe he even should give him a small kiss on the lips or something? Was that what boyfriends did when they saw each other? Only now he realised that he really had no idea how this whole boyfriend thing worked.

So, as if to spare himself a moment of embarrassment, Neji did neither of those things, but instead took his time to take in Gaara's appearance as well. He really looked amazing, even more so than usual, if that was possible. But Neji had to admit that he'd always thought that the redhead had looked rather good, even at the time when he hadn't been attracted to him yet.

But today it seemed a bit different, as if Gaara really had done his best to look extra good. So apparently Neji hadn't been the only one who'd done that. He kind of liked to think of it as a compliment, that Gaara was all dressed up just for this occasion. Especially if you thought of how uncaring he could be sometimes.

'You look great,' He complimented, thinking that was kind of obvious. The clothes Gaara was wearing really suited him. It almost made Neji feel ashamed that he had even dared to walk out like this, because the redhead definitely did look better, in his opinion.

Neji allowed his eyes to linger on Gaara's body for another moment or two, before finally forcing himself to look up at his face again, realising that he might have been staring a bit too long. Hopefully the other hadn't noticed... 'Uhm, shall we go now?' Neji then asked, maybe a bit too quickly, still feeling a bit ashamed that he had been eyeing the younger boy like that. But he also didn't want to take any risks, since there still was the possibility of his uncle seeing them if they kept standing here.

_In surprise Gaara raised an eyebrow and then slowly a smirk formed on his lips. 'Well, I think you look much better than me, but I think you always look great,' he complimented and then actually winked at Neji. He couldn't help himself. He was going on a date with the brunette and as Neji got closer, his heart started beating faster and faster. It actually felt quite nice and he hoped he would feel like this for a long time still._

_Gaara nodded at Neji's question, turning around and walking towards the passenger's seat, opening the door and motioning for Neji to get in like a real gentleman. A tip Kankuro had given him, although he wasn't sure if Neji would appreciate it. Sometimes men just liked doing these things themselves… _

_He waited on Neji to get closer to him and then felt something else stirring awake in his stomach. Having the brunette this close just made him want to… Before he even realised what he was doing, Gaara's hand went up and grabbed Neji's chin, bringing their faces together and then softly pressing his lips against the brunette's. It was just a short one, so another one was needed before he completely pulled back, releasing Neji from his hold and taking a step back. _

_'I hope you will like the movie I have picked out,' he said plainly, his voice still steady. 'It's a thriller and it had some good reviews, so I thought it might be fun to watch,' he explained and then waited on Neji to sit down before he closed the door behind him. _

The smile Neji had on his face only widened at the compliment. Even though he didn't agree, since he still was convinced that Gaara was the better looking one between the both of them, he still couldn't help but feel flattered.

When the redhead walked up to the passenger seat, Neji momentarily wondered what he was doing. However, soon enough Gaara's intentions became obvious. As Neji walked up to him, he couldn't help but wonder where this behaviour suddenly was coming from. He'd never seen him act like this before, not even something close to it, so the last thing Neji had been expecting from Gaara was to hold the door open for him. Maybe he actually had better manners than he showed sometimes? Or maybe he just did it because they were together now?

Whatever it was that had caused him to act like this, it didn't really matter, because Neji quite liked it to see this different side of the redhead. He didn't even think something of the fact that the gesture of holding a door open for someone usually only was shown towards women.

But before Neji could manage to get into the car, he suddenly was pulled in not one, but two soft kisses. An unexpected, but nice surprise. Maybe a bit too short, but there probably would be plenty of opportunities left to kiss each other, so Neji wasn't complaining.

Neji nodded his head at the short explanation about the movie. 'Should be good,' he said honestly. But even if the movie sucked then that wouldn't be a total disaster, because he still got to spent time with his new boyfriend. Quickly he got into the car, murmuring a soft 'thank you' to Gaara before the door was closed.

_Quickly Gaara moved over to the driver's seat and sat down, starting the car and ready to go. He just wanted this date to start already and not linger any longer in front of his house. He was very aware of the fact that his siblings were both standing in front of the window, studying every move he made. So he would be hearing something about the kiss he just gave Neji. Kankuro would approve and Temari would whine about it being too soon or that he should wait until the other made the first move. Did that really matter? And if Neji didn't want to kiss him, then the brunette would certainly have pushed him away. It wasn't like he was some damsel in distress or something. _

_And then they were on their way. The theatre wasn't too far away, so the drive itself would be quite short. It didn't matter. The date had truly started once they were away from their homes. No worries about uncles seeing them kiss or siblings trying to meddle in. It would just be them two and Gaara was going to enjoy this. It had been a while since they really spend time together. Of course that was all because of the situation of before, but Gaara decided it did not matter anymore. Neji was here now and he was all Gaara's, or at least in his head Neji was. _

_Lazily Gaara slid a hand through his hair, messing it up a little more as he drove with just one hand on the wheel. He was relaxed, feeling good having the brunette sitting next to him again. 'So are you happy to be here with me?' he asked, smiling lightly. His green eyes moved to Neji for a moment before settling on the road again. 'Because I certainly missed our time together,' he added, hoping Neji got the point and would be flattered, or at least feel something like that._

Neji noticeably had relaxed since they drove away from their houses. Now he didn't have to worry about someone seeing them anymore. He now was glancing at Gaara from the corners of his eyes. The question the redhead was in some way kind of sweet, but at the same time it also was a bit unusual in his opinion, because if Neji wouldn't be happy to be here, then why would he even have bothered to show up? Maybe the redhead just had asked it in the need of some assurance or something like that?

A smile formed on Neji's lips. 'Of course I am happy to be here with you. Why wouldn't I be?' He questioned, but didn't really expect an answer. It felt so good that they were finally behaving normal to each other again. And now they weren't just acting as friends, but as boyfriends, to make it even better! Now they got to do all the stuff boyfriends did with each other, like going on dates like these, and Neji really did like the idea of that. So yes, Neji was definitely happy to be here with Gaara.

However, the part where the redhead said that he'd missed their time together was a bit unexpected, but it also made Neji's heart flutter. Gaara had missed him! Most of the time he just seemed to have a lot of fun with Naruto, so Neji never really had gotten the impression that Gaara had missed his company, maybe even just as much as he'd missed Gaara's. But aside from the happiness, Neji also felt relief, because this meant that he hadn't been the only one who'd missed the other.

'I missed it as well. You really have no idea...' Neji then said, recalling what it had felt like to have the redhead distancing himself from him, how jealous he'd felt when Gaara spent his time with his blonde friend rather than with him, and of course, how dearly he had missed him. Maybe these were not the best thoughts to start a date with, but Neji couldn't help himself. It really made him realise just how grateful he was for how things had turned out with Gaara.

_Green eyes glanced to the side as Neji had spoken up. They had reached the movie theatre and Gaara had parked a little away due to it being very busy at the moment. A soft smile formed on his lips, his hand reaching forward and giving Neji's hand a light squeeze. Of course he loved the fact that Neji had missed him back and even went out of his way to say Gaara would have no idea how much. But he wouldn't respond to it. That would make things awkward and asking how much it really was, would not really give him an answer. _

_'We're here,' he stated the obvious and then released Neji's hand again, getting out of the car and quickly moving over to Neji's side to open his door as well. He then offered his hand for the brunette to take and hopefully he would be allowed to hold Neji's hand as they walked towards the theatre. Gaara couldn't help but stare at Neji a little longer, studying his looks and how gracefully he really looked. It was something he hadn't really focused on before, but even the way the brunette walked was almost like a dance. Would Neji be a good dancer? He really wasn't, but that didn't mean he would love to see the brunette dance for him. _

_It was strange how he noticed different things now. First it was just a friendly way they hang out, but ever since he was really allowed to see it a different way, Gaara surely was seeing different things. A tongue peeking out to wet a thin bottom lip. Long pale fingers sliding through soft dark locks. Jeans hugging Neji's behind just a little too much, or maybe just enough. Those were things Gaara now noticed and even when he didn't want to, he couldn't help himself. Neji was just really beautiful and maybe a little, what's the word, sexy. _

Another 'thank you' left Neji's lips when Gaara opened the door of the car for him again, appreciating the small gesture. Gaara really seemed to do his best and act like a gentleman, and it actually was kind of cute. And who would've guessed that he even was into romantic stuff like holding hands? For a moment Neji could only stare at the offered hand in slight disbelief, but then gladly accepted it, immediately lacing their fingers together.

Holding Gaara's hand was nice, the way it made his skin tingle just a little where it touched Gaara's. And of course this also was kind of showing off that they were together. The fact that someone who might recognise them could see them like this still was in the back of Neji's mind, but he ignored it. How high were the chances that someone, from example school, would come here and see them holding hands? Maybe Neji's way of thinking was a bit uncareful, but at the moment, he couldn't care less. He just wanted to enjoy his first date with Gaara without having to worry about everything.

As they walked towards the theatre, Neji became aware of the green eyes on him, and he couldn't help but wonder what the other was thinking. Was there something wrong with his appearance that made the redhead eye him like this? But he had said that he thought he always looked nice, so that couldn't be it. Not to mention that if Gaara didn't like it, he already had the opportunity to say so, knowing how blunt he could be sometimes. 'What's on your mind right now?' Neji asked curiously as they reached the entrance of the theatre, slowly pulling Gaara inside by his hand.

_The sudden spoken words pulled Gaara out of his thoughts, making him blink at the brunette, before the question settled in. What was on his mind? What he was thinking about? 'You,' he answered without hesitation and kept looking over at Neji. The way those lips moved when they talked or curled up in a smile. The way his hair floated slightly in the wind that carried through the streets. And then those pale eyes that almost seemed translucent. Neji was just unbelievably beautiful and there was no way Gaara could even measure up to that. _

_And then there was that urge again, the need to kiss Neji right here and right now. But he knew the brunette wouldn't appreciate it, thinking someone might see them. So what was a boy to do then? Gaara knew exactly what to do. He bought the tickets as if nothing was the matter, showing off just that hint of a smile that let Neji know he was enjoying himself. And then he told the brunette he needed to go to the bathroom, pulling the brunette along as if that was normal as well. Two guys going to the bathroom together wasn't normal, but Gaara didn't care. He just wanted this, this little moment, with Neji._

_Pulling the brunette inside the bathroom, he get them behind a little wall where they wouldn't be seen right away. 'My mind is always on you,' he murmured softly, putting his hand at the back of Neji's head and pulling the brunette down for a long and sweet kiss. And this was what Gaara loved most about Neji's lips. _


End file.
